From Ashes To Dust - Grimgar SYOC
by Gin-Ex-Machina
Summary: Awakening in a foreign world without their memories, a group is forced to choose between life and death. Having no other viable option they become part of Black Desert, an anti-monster army tasked to commit genocide to all other races of Grimgar. Soon they would realize that the world wants them dead and buried, until they are naught but ashes and dust.. [SYOC Always Open]
1. Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust (Eima)

_[Level 0 - Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust]_

* * *

 _ **Day - 0**_

 ** _Eima_**

* * *

'' _Awaken_.''

The echo of a single voice resounded in her mind, almost as if she'd been summoned from the darkest, dankest void. The girl batted her eyelashes while she woke, squinting her eyes to simply survey her surroundings.

 _Darkness_.

Everything around her was licked in darkness, no light pierced overhead, no clouds in the sky, no leads to go by, everything was just blackness.

' _Where is the sun? Where am I? Am I alone?'_ Questions continued to pile on her mind.

For some reason, breathing itself became tedious for her. She felt around in the dark and came to the conclusion that she was lying on her backside, trapped inside a rectangular box of some kind. It was fashioned of some kind of stone, but with the darkness she couldn't confirm anything. To her it felt as if the box stretched out endlessly.

From the very core of her body panic rises, she flailed, kicked and smashed, only to meet the confining grasp of rock on her arms and legs. Pain in her limbs shot through her. Her body began to burn, sweat dripping from every pore on her back, with every breath she took she felt more and more as if she was suffocating slowly.

''Let me out! Let me out!''

But nobody came. The only thing that responded was her own voice echoing back into her mind. ' _Let me out! Let me out! LET ME OUT!'_

She could only barely suppress the urge to scream by biting hard into her own thumb. The pain brought some sort clarity in her muddled mind. The girl concluded that she had to act fast, or else panic would take over once again. Bracing her feet against the top of the box, she pushed upward as hard as she could.

The stone ceiling started to shift beneath the pressure and hopeful thought filled the girl's head, whilst she tried to shift the slab of stone away. Sand started spilling from the opening, submerging her face. In shock she banged her head against stone, her brain nearly jumped out of her skull. The girl coughed and squinted her eyes in reflex, but sand managed to slip in. Her eyes stung, burned and itched. The girl tried to plug the hole she made but found resistance in her body as the panic sets in once more.

She screamed while sand entered mouth, the fear of death was the only thing on her mind as the taste of dry sand assaulted her brain. She started to resign, she found herself in a situation she couldn't escape from after all. For some reason these thoughts and questions are disliked by her own way of perception.

 _'Why?'_

Then the stone slab was forced away, the steady stream of sand that was burying her was no more. The stale air was gone, replaced by the smell of earth and.. _Sand_. She saw numerous people around her, five.. Seven.. No, twelve in total including herself. The girl coughed and spat the sand out of her lungs, subtly eyeing the people around her.

Most of them were dressed in large hooded robes that only revealed the shape of their bodies, two of them had something strapped to their backs. They expressed a mixture of concern and relief on their faces. It was only now that the girl noticed the dark sky above her, it was painted with stars as far as vision allowed her to see, somehow she knew that something like this was very uncommon.

A crimson crescent moon hung above; illuminating everything in a dim reddish glow. A single glance at it made her mouth drop in awe.

One of the people jumped down from their elevated position and reached out a hand to the girl, she clasped it and let the person tug her upright. While she was in motion, she noted that she had weird markings on her wrists.

 _'A Tattoo,'_ The term sounded very unfamiliar in her mind.

She was greeted with a smile by the adolescent that pulled her to her feet. He had short, combed back hair that was bleached blond on the sides, leaving the middle with a dull brown. His chin decorated with a tuft of brown mane.

''Are you all right?'' He said, a tinge of worry spread across his face.

The girl paused, she faced the youth and she felt the urge to gouge the boy's eyes out, almost as if she knew who he was. Just like snow in the summer, it was gone in a flask. Leaving her with a confused and fearful expression on her features.

''Hey..'' The youth gave her a shake.

Suppressing the emotion she felt, she answered. ''I'm okay, despite the sand _dessert_.''

A chuckle escaped his lips. ''Oh. I get it, cause were in the desert. Heh, Puns..'' He glanced around at the others that surrounded them. ''Well.. Then let's get you out of this sand coffin,'' Deftly, he hoisted himself upwards and pulled the girl out of the coffin with the help of several other.

She thanked them and they returned in kind with modesty. There were so many questions swirling in her mind, ' _Where were we? Who were these people? Why am I here?'_

She started with the most logical one. ''Where are we?''

The boy's smile faded, and the other garbed people turned grim. ''We're in Grimgar.. But to be more specific, we're several miles out of the city of Azanaar.''

''Grimgar? Azanaar?'' The girl repeated incredulously.

The youth didn't grace her with further explanation. ''So what's your name, _Skyscraper_?''

 _'Skyscraper?'_ Only then did she realize that she towered at least a head over the other boy. That remark however made her feel like she wanted punch his teeth in, but _why_?

''It's..'' Her name, was blur. She felt that she could recall it, but everything surrounding her name, surrounding her identity, friends, family, associates and experiences were blank. ''I think.. It's Eima, Eima Yakasha,'' The words roll off of her tongue with a shudder.

''You too, huh,'' He mumbled, his eyebrows crooked. ''I'm Aitarou Innunaki. Oh and happy birthday.''

Eima felt a queer rage bubbling inside her stomach after hearing the name _Innunaki_. The girl felt like punching herself for flooding her with all these unfamiliar feelings and sensations. How was she supposed to act on them?

''Happy Birthday?''

Aitarou smirked, ''All of us, well except Spaelorr and Asterisk,'' He gestured at the older man and woman, who were the only ones with.. _Swords_ strapped to their backs. ''All of us were sleeping inside these coffins until they found us. So I decided that since no one knew anything about themselves other than their names, that this would be our collective birthday.''

Every time she saw him smirk, the urge to hurt Aitarou grew twice fold. She turned her attention on to his words however.

Eima eyed her robed companions. ''So all of you know nothing of yourselves?''

All them confirmed Aitarou's story in one way or another, which ticked off the '' _Skyscraper_ '' even further. ''What are we supposed to do now..?''

''We can present you all with an option for survival.'' The elder man, Spaelorr announced firmly.

Everyone turned to him, bickering and gossiping rowdily among themselves, trying to make their own plans or draw their own conclusions. Eima stood next to Aitarou when the woman, Asterisk, stepped in front of the crowd with plentiful swagger.

 _'Bleh_..' Eima thought.

Asterisk brushed her long locks behind her ears. ''We can give you a starting income, a job and even a place to stay if you wish to make use of that.''

The woman's voice rends the air. ''Only if you'll join Azanaar's Borderland Reserve Force, Black Desert.''

''And if we refuse?'' Eima heard herself call out. Murmurs of distress resound within the crowd of people.

''Well, _Little Miss Mountain_. Consider your lives forfeit, either by my hand. Or..'' She extends her arms with a Cheshire smile, gesturing dark desert behind her.

''You always can join the others, you know the _unlucky_ ones,'' Asterisk unsheathed her sword pointing at another crater just past the one Eima rose from.

The faces of people in the crowd went dark, gasps of dismay and terror were numerous among their robed forms. Yet, Eima remained skeptical, it was as if she was quite used to being intimidated by people, whoever she was before she certainly led quite a life.

Testing the woman's mettle she stepped out of the crowd in order to check the spot for herself. Aitarou jogged towards her urging her to not look, but Eima wasn't in the mood for his pleas, whimpers and bullshit and brushed him off.

In the crater she met _corpses_.. Human corpses thrown atop of another as if it were nothing but mere human waste..

Some of them were recently deceased, others were already decomposing and their stench was quickly taking to the skies. Bugs littered it, consuming flesh for sustenance. The sight of it caused Eima to drop to her knees and hurl. Tears and bile stained her face, she simply asked.

''Why?!''

Asterisk beamed brighter than the sun. ''Happy birthday, _Little Miss Mountain_. Now, what shall it be?''

* * *

 **Notes**

* * *

 **Hello and most of all, welcome to my first (and most likely last) SYOC.**

 **First off, I'll do everything in my writing ability to make this entire journey of a story as enjoyable as possible. That said, I'm quite a slow writer, then there is also the fact that this story also ranks pretty low in my priority list. So there might be times where this story remains stagnant for a long period of time. But I'll never abandon one, it eats away at me after all.**

 **So in this zero chapter I introduced one of the main cast members, _Little Miss Mountain, Eima_ (she's not THE main character, just one of them) along with several key characters in the story. As the story progresses I'll unveil more and more of Black Desert's Reserve force and how they differ from the canon's Crimson Moon's Reserve Force. For the people unfamiliar to  Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, I really recommend either reading the original novel or to watch the anime variant.**

 **The story will at best reference events and characters that had a role in the canon story line but it won't ever cross into canon.**

 **Also even if you're character gets accepted for a main role or a minor one I might not actually introduce them immediately. I intend to build towards that slowly. So even if you're character is not mentioned in the first chapter or the second, he/she/they will make an appearance sooner or later.**

 **Beside that there is also the fact that all OC's will experience a similar fate, just like Eima. They will have no memories of their history before Grimgar and act just how they did before Grimgar, but without knowing why they have a preference to act a certain way.**

 **By the way, I won't hold your characters hostage if you chose to not review during the duration of the SYOC. But, it would be nice if you could mention if or what you liked or disliked from a chapter. It fosters motivation within me after all.**

 **Finally, there might be a slight chance that I may like your character but already have another one planned to take one of the classes your character wanted applied for. You might receive a PM from me informing you of that change. If you wish to state your preference for the second class, please do so. It would be a waste to not include a character only because most people sent in too many Warriors, Mages or Ronins.**

 **Try to keep an eye out in for eventual edits either here or in the ''Lucky Bastards'' section, until the first chapter is released.**

 **The OC form is on my profile, copy and paste it to your liking. And finally, I wish you the very best of creating pleasure.**

 **I'll hungrily await your ideas and characters,**

 **\- Gin-Ex-Machina**

 **P.S: It isn't first come first serve here, at best I'll take about 2 weeks to a month to _completely_ decide which characters are going to be part of the main cast.**

* * *

 **Rules**

* * *

 **1\. Mary Sue/Gary Stu's are very forbidden in here. If you have the gall to make your character that ' _perfect_ ', I suggest you continue do that in an _other_ SYOC.**

 **2\. Character applications through reviews are frowned upon and therefore not allowed, PM only. Just add your character's name in the subject along with SYOC in brackets and I should be able to find it easily.**

 **3\. All character applications must follow the form, (More information is certainly nice, but keep it in order please).**

 **4\. Please don't send in characters that already participated in an SYOC story. It becomes more fun for everyone, if the characters are unique and fresh and not the same cardboard cut-out over and over.**

 **5\. If I were to accept your character, I get to decide what becomes of them during the duration of the story (Suggestions are always appreciated though). I know everyone want their character to live, but some (most) _must_ die. It's the nature of this particular series.**

 **6\. It's not so much a rule, but.. Characters that are not accepted might see their spotlight as background character or as replacement for a deceased member of the main group. Maybe you're lucky and your character might fall into this, if he/she does I'll let the creator know through PM. For that reason character submission will always remain open for these spots during whatever point in the story, depending on how strong the cast is one may immediately be introduced in their specialization instead of their base class.  
**

 **7\. Be descriptive, I don't want to see one-liners in the personality section or the history section. If you do this, be sure to expect that I won't put much effort in your application as well.  
**

 **8\. There can only be two people with same core class in the same party, no one would want a party full of squishy mages. That would end in a Total-Party Kill sooner or later (But they must have different specializations in the end, in order to prevent repetition regarding their abilities).**

 **9\. The world is set in medieval-like times, keep that in mind while designing attire for the character please.  
**

 **10\. Original and interesting characters have an advantage, keep that in mind. However, I try to have open mind as much as possible.  
**

 **11\. Max. 3 OC's per user. (I'm human too you all, I love to read all the wonderful ideas you have. But I'm still human)**

 **12\. Add the phrase, ''Gems are truly outrageous'' somewhere within the application. It showcases that you didn't just skim through the rules-section. I will dismiss your submission if you do not add this.  
**

* * *

 **Class Descriptions**

* * *

 _Warrior Class  
_

* * *

 _Grimgar's bread and butter class. When the people think of the Reserve Forces, Warriors jump into the minds of everyone. Armed to the teeth with steel armor and heavy weaponry, these men and women of might are the corner stone of each and every party. They make for excellent tanks and damage dealers, but their biggest trade off stems from their greatest asset, their armor. Too cumbersome to move agilely, too much in danger when shit hits the fan. Traditionally these Warriors wield bastard swords, greatswords or axes in battle. One of the basics, but definitely not unneeded.  
_

 _Everyone is warrior at heart somewhere._

 **''A true warrior's glory resides in battle.'' - The Berserker Swifthart, Warrior Guildmistress.  
**

 _Known Specializations  
_

 ** _Knight_**

 _A specialization that focuses on defending allies with a strong offense.  
_

 ** _Paladin_**

 _A specialization that combines the healing prowess of a priest along with a warrior's vigor.  
_

 ** _Berserker_**

 _A specialization that depends entirely on strength and power in exchange for your defenses.  
_

* * *

 _Mage Class_

* * *

 _Wisdom and knowledge, the very resources a Mage consumes everyday. Mages are user of the arcane arts, using predefined spells to create a specific magical effect. An aria needs to be chanted with a level-headed mind in order to produce magic. As such Mages require utmost concentration and protection in order to preform well. Generally Mages conduct their magic through staves or rods, but there are certain Mages who choose to wield bows as a self-defense measure when they are out Mana. The Mages are able to cast spells in five different categories, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth and Shadow (illusions). A Mage trainee learns a variety of basic spells till the time of specialization arises. The Mage's biggest weakness lies in their dependency on a calm mind, their frail bodies and their own Mana pools, since without magic they are without use.  
_

 _A true Mage is an eternal scholar.  
_

 **''The meaning of life you ask? Why, to gather all knowledge there is, of course.'' - The Sage Herodin, Mage Guildmaster**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Sage_**

 _A specialization that focuses on the combined usage of offensive magic along with it's healing variant.  
_

 ** _(Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth or General) Elementalist_**

 _The only specialization that adds even further specialization possibilities, be a lord of a single element and wield the rest below averagely or wield all of them averagely.  
_

 ** _Thaumaturge  
_**

 _A specialization that draws it's strength from illusions and incapacitating enemies through disorientation magic and debuffing spells.  
_

* * *

 _Priest Class_

* * *

 _No party is ever complete or safe without the aid of a Priest by their side. The second of the two mandatory classes in every party, the Priest is what saves the parties time and again. Aided by healing and supportive magic, they're able to support the team at a medium distance. Traditionally Priests wield maces, staves or rods in combat, while they might never be in the front-line of combat, they have some combat skills to their disposal if things go south. The priest's obvious weakness is their dependency on others, to do their share of fighting for them. Something to note is that Priests have the lowest Class mortality rate in all of Grimgar, making it relatively safe Class for worrywarts.  
_

 _You can't have a party without a Priest, but no one can be a Priest without a party._

 **''Cometh, my child. Let me heal your wounds and comfort your sorrows.'' - The Saint Zachariah, Priest Guildmaster.  
**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Battle Cleric  
_**

 _Weaker in combat than it's elder brother, the Paladin. Stronger in healing than it's younger sister, the Priest._

 ** _Saint_**

 _Capable of performing the strongest and most efficient healing magic in all of Grimgar. These Saints didn't earn their name for nothing.  
_

 ** _Paladin  
_**

 _A specialization that combines the healing prowess of a Priest along with a Warrior's vigor._

* * *

 _Thief Class_

* * *

 _Master of utility, stealth and dishonorable combat. Thieves hold indispensable value to parties that value discreetness, reconnaissance and unfair advantages. Armed with knives, shortswords or sickles they venture toward their enemy's back to slay or disable them. No class is able to provide so many extra advantages by simply having them near you. Though they take vows to never steal from their Reserve Force, Guild and Class colleague's, some might break their vows for their own gain. They preform averagely in one-on-one combat, many Thieves prefer not to do so due to having not enough protection other than the knife in their hands. Their greatest weakness lies in facing multiple opponents at once, if a thief can't escape, it would be their undoing._

 _The best enemy is a crippled one._

 **''Honor? Status? Power? Thieves are thieves, nothing changes our nature.'' - The Gambler Faker, Thief Guildmaster.**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Assassin_**

 _Sacrificing some their previous expertise, they gain only more killing strength and utility in return.  
_

 ** _Gambler_**

 _A Thief who prays to Lady Luck for aid, they might even ace an miracle in return for their determination.  
_

 ** _Scout_**

 _Now armed with a short-bow, these fleet-footed runners can unveil territories and save lives with that information.  
_

* * *

 _Hunter Class_

* * *

 _Cunning, self-reliant, perceptive and wise, these are the traits of an excellent Hunter. Hunters are the backbone of any ranged offensive maneuver, skilled with the bow they're able to fell any foe without even letting it come near them. While Hunters mostly prefer staying away from direct combat, they do carry knives or shortswords on them if the situation does arise. They function as great trackers and have good to great knowledge regarding herbs and are greatly loved by the animal kingdom, while being skilled in raising them. Hunters provide a wide variety of non-combat utility, and some even have the skill to spot enemy traps ahead of time. But despite being able to hold their own in close combat, a hunter should never be left there for too long.  
_

 _You wish to survive? Bring your Hunter._

 **''I'm sorry, sir. The only thing we teach here is the art of living in a world that wants us dead.'' - The Beastlord Ynia, Hunter Guildmistress.**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Sniper_**

 _Hunters who forgo their close combat style entirely, in favor of a long-distance relationship with the enemy in order to aid the group.  
_

 ** _Crossbowman_**

 _Embracing their close combat heritage, these Hunters actively seek the the thrill of being both in close range and mid range._

 ** _Beastlord_**

 _The herald of beasts, capable of taming even the wildest of wolves and lions to aid them for a variety of purposes.  
_

* * *

 _Dark Knight Class_

* * *

 _Rumored to be the strongest class Grimgar has to offer. Dark knights are known for their high damage output despite jumping in out of the enemy's attack range. Their high damage and relatively safe engaging and disengaging potential makes them a popular pick among various Reserve Forces. The biggest drawback of this class is that its growth is dependent on a exterior factor, namely Vices. These vices are mandatory to be collected for every Dark Knight in order to grow and learn new techniques._ _A traditional Dark Knight wields Longswords in battle, but there have been many spotted with axes, scimitars even bastard blades. They have a demonic companion which they can call upon if needed, this companion is tied to the Dark Knight's vices and needs them to grow stronger. Sadly, in the field the demon tend to put their own of wants and needs above its user's.._

 _In the face of death everything is equal._

 **''You cannot prevent death, you can only stall it.'' - The Death Knight Vaancer, Dark Knight Guildmaster.**

 _Known Specializations_

 _ **Death Knight**  
_

 _With loads of Dark Knight vices accumulated, Death Knights gain untold powers over the darkness, their darkness reached a point of power so vast it can induce death itself.  
_

 _ **Hellion  
**_

 _A Dark Knight that took on a similar path of the Deathless King, with their demons in tow they cause mayhem on their foes.  
_

 _ **Blackguard  
**_

 _Similar to the Assassin, the shadows are their mantle. But direct combat are more their forté, with twin blades of the dark, they dance the dance of death.  
_

* * *

 _Monk Class_

* * *

 _Runner up to the rumored strongest class in Grimgar, and one of the two exclusive classes Azanaar has in their city walls. A monk's damage output simply outstanding with enough experience low level skills can become outright unstoppable. A monk mainly fights in close range with high evasive skill in order to balance out their outright lacking defenses. These fighters wear no steel, and practically stride naked in combat, the only thing that classifies as defense for them is evasion. Being limber and agile is a must since a single stab wound might mean death on battle. Next to their outstanding close combat skill, they also make use of their own life force to heal, bolster their bodies or to attack from a fixed range. Traditionally they wield either gauntlets, staves, claws or handknives in battle._

 _But often times, their hands and feet are the only things they need in order to fight._

 **''I'm not too big on teaching, I think broken bones teach much better lessons.'' - The Weaponmeister Asterisk, Monk Guildmistress.**

 _Known Specialization_

 ** _Grandmaster_**

 _A specialization that fosters the martial prowess of a Monk and brings it to unseen heights.  
_

 ** _Weaponmeister  
_**

 _Once the master of bare-fisted combat, now the jack-of-all-weapons but naught a true master.  
_

 ** _Oracle  
_**

 _A specialization that allows a monk to delve way further into their selves and unlock the true meaning of their Qi.  
_

* * *

 _Fencer Class_

* * *

 _A rather rare Class in Grimgar. Little is about the Fencer's way of combat other than what is being passed around by the fencer's allies. Even among other guilds the Fencer guild is extremely secretive about its arts and skills. It is rumored that wasting even a single word of the inner working of skills may cause the Guild to take measures of life-threatening magnitude against a member. Fencers are blade dancers who employ wide variety of offensive, defensive and supportive techniques to enhance their fighting potential and target enemy weaknesses. It is said the most experienced fencers never lost a one-on-one duel. Fencers traditionally go into battle with a rapier, estoc, cutlass or a longsword. Their weaknesses lie in the fact that their weapon types just can't do well in prolonged combat against other types, they are also useless without their weaponry in hand.  
_

 _Never face a fencer alone.._

 **''The way to win? Make your foes grovel.'' - The Mageslayer Hedera, Fencer Guildmistress.**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Sword Dancer  
_**

 _Dual wielding masters of the sword who are unrivaled in single combat, these experienced Fencers are able to win almost every duel._

 ** _Hexblade_**

 _Studying the way of magic bring opens new potential for the Fencers and imbues new weaknesses on the enemy.  
_

 ** _Mageslayer_**

 _Armed with a ''Devourer'', known as a sword that drinks magic. These swashbucklers are the only thing that can stop magic entirely.  
_

* * *

 _Evoker Class_

* * *

 _There will be a time in one's life where they would struggle to call help, but find none of it. An Evoker won't ever face that problem. Surrounded by spirits and summoned beasts of the legends and myths of old. These strongly specialized mages won't ever fight their battles alone as they can call upon a wellspring of allies which suit the situation at hand. These allies do need quite some preparation to be summoned, blood is needed as an sacrifice. Therefore Evokers always carry some kind of knive on their person. Evokers remain quite uncommon in Grimgar, once plentiful at the beginning of the war with Deathless king but now reduced to few. They need their allies to guard their bodies as they prepare and initiate the summoning rituals.  
_

 _Call upon your legion._

 **''All of us desire help at least once in of our lives.'' - The Druid Üruz, Evoker Guildmaster  
**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Summoner  
_**

 _Messengers to creatures of strength, can call upon legions or on the truly strong.  
_

 ** _Druid_**

 _They pay the price of summoning, no longer in blood, but with their own body as a vessel for their summon's might.  
_

* * *

 _Warden Class_

* * *

 _A protector. What does it mean, some say that Warriors earn that title, but many say that it belongs to the Warden. The Warden could be seen as the Warrior's older more defensive twin. Clad in armor from head to toe, Wardens are the true wall of defense in all situations, where a Warrior would fall Wardens would stay strong. They wield as long and wide as themselves, and the truly great Wardens stride into battle with only a spear in hand, letting their bodies do the protecting. From the day one swears to be a Warden, they have a duty to save their allies and innocents above themselves. One could say that Wardens are the last heroes of old. Their major setback is the same thing that protects them, their code of honor, armor and shield. Too cumbersome to move in, too proud to let it go.  
_

 _Wardens are heroes we need, but don't deserve._

 **''My only purpose is to defend life as we know it.'' - The Guardian Eddarth, Warden Guildmaster  
**

 _Known Specializations_

 ** _Guardian_**

 _Sworn Wardens who pledged to defend a single cause with their lives, their bodies and shields are as strong a fortress.  
_

 ** _Drakengard  
_**

 _Taking in the their new patron, Ladon the Firebrand. These wardens gain defenses as strong as a dragon's.  
_

* * *

 _Ronin Class  
_

* * *

 _Nomadic in nature and wanders by heart, the Ronin combines their high mobility and speed (compared to Warriors and Wardens) with curved blades that eat away armor. They wear less armor in combat than the Warrior or Warden but significantly more than a Fencer or an Monk. A Ronin's damage output is also more inferior to Monks and Fencers. However a Ronin **only** wields curved blades known as a Wakizashi and a Shirasaya, that hold greater cutting and slicing potential than all other blades in Grimgar. They train vigorously until they are capable enough to wield a Katana, a magical blade that commands the spirit of wind. They are also the only known class beside Monks who can manipulate Qi. A Ronin lives with their blade till death, and they see their weapon as a valuable life partner. Azanaar holds Grimgar's last known Samurai, who knows the secret of forging a Katana.  
_

 _Being a Ronin is facing and endless journey with your lover always by your side._

 **''Always seek a greater challenge, a greater purpose.'' - The Samurai Kenpachi, Ronin Guildmaster. _  
_**

 _Known Specialization_

 ** _Samurai_**

 _The true path of a Ronin, with a true-forged Katana in hand they wander the world seeking a true challenge to wetten their blades with blood.  
_

* * *

 _Gadgeteer Class_

* * *

 _Technology, Science. A term that recently came to life thanks the founder of the Gadgeteers Class, Barnabas Blayne. Not only did his work improve explosives as a whole, but they also created a whole new type of projectile weapon code named ''Persuader''. These Persuaders need to be loaded with metal pellets and can be shot from a medium sized distance. While still in it's prototype phase, it has shown tremendous armor piercing potential along with great stopping power. Gageteers engage in battle with these arms in hand, while very effective. They take a long time to prepare. Next to that they use explosive traps to thin the enemy numbers and coordinate their precious Persuader Ammunition wisely from the backlines. With no armor to protect themselves they depend fully on their allies to keep their foes away._

 _Let that savage creativity loose.  
_

 **''Tinker, tinker, tinker~ Till you can't even pinker~'' - The Artificer Barnabas, Gadgeteer Guildmaster**

 _Known Specialization_

 ** _Artificer  
_**

 _An experienced Gadgeteer that found love in explosions, death and mayhem. Their improved traps and arms will leave their enemies sundered and dismembered.  
_

* * *

 **The Lucky Bastards**

* * *

 _1. **Eima Yakasha** \- Female -  [Gin-Ex-Machina]  
_

 _2. **Ushio Tachibana** \- Male - [DimensionBlade 1.2]  
_

 _3. **Loren Poulos** \- Male - [GRX3m0m]_

 _4. **Rui Hitsuga** \- Female - [SecondLast]  
_

 _5. **Amaya Isuke -** Female - [ModernUtopia]  
_

 _6. **Lysen Uto** \- Male - [Variable Z]  
_

 _7. **Takashi Ozawa -** Male - [Quake Shatterfist]  
_

 _8. **Hope Hakazei** \- Male - [TheBunnyMasterMind]  
_

 ** _With this we've reached a full party. Let me remind you that anyone else is still able to send in characters for either minor roles or as replacements for deceased members. Yes, even the creator of said deceased character may make a new one in order to fill the void._**

 ** _Thank you all for participating, I wish you the best of reading pleasure._**


	2. Bittersweet Symphony Of Life (Ushio)

_[Level 1 - Bittersweet Symphony Of Life]_

* * *

 **Day - 1**

 _ **Ushio**_

* * *

''Ushio!''

''Huh?! What? What?'' Ushio recoiled his head back in fright, his dark hair whipped the air before veiling one of his gray eyes again.

''Wakey Wakey, lazy oaf,'' The robed girl practically waved in his face, gaining slight glint in her eyes. ''How long are you going to stare at your girlfriend?''

''Pardon?'' His face scrunched up, he didn't know whether to be annoyed or not.

''You know, _that_ girl,'' She directed her fiery eyes at a blue haired girl striding at the back of the ensemble. ''She did barf-y stuff and all that messy shtick.''

Ushio pushed down the urge to correct the girl beside him, after all he did not stare. Did he? ''It's just.. I kinda get where she's coming from.''

''We all do,'' She wiped away a cobalt lock of hair out of her eye before settling her red eyes on his, her tone was serious. ''We're all stuck on the same boat. I felt hurling out my guts too, when I saw that Spaelorr guy handling all those corpses.''

Ushio's stomach knotted, he could still clearly recall the vacant eyes of Spaelorr when he pilled the bodies in the make-shift graves. How could someone treat life like it's so insignificant? He couldn't understand, even if he dedicated himself to trying it. That Asterisk woman is even worse, she helped him with _smile_. A smile of all things..

It was tough. For the last two hours they've been stalking the desert for an innumerable amount of steps, no one made as much as a sound other than faint whispers. Spaelorr was always deathly silent, revealing nothing as if he lost all emotion, and Asterisk controlled everyone with hardy threats of dismemberment and torturous death. Earning either the wrath or caution of everyone around us.

Ushio found himself on the latter side, while he certainly disliked the woman a lot, he knew it was a folly to stand against her. Even underneath her cloak he spied the lines of thick muscle, and estimated at least that she trained two to five years in order to gain that much muscle. He feared her, she was a ticking time-bomb, and every act of defiance was wearing down on her already painfully, thin patience.

And if things went south..

 _Everyone would be in the middle of it._

* * *

The crimson moon hung comfortably in the sky. Ushio calmly gazed at it along with the stars that seemed to track every step he made, grumbling that his theory of it being dawn was simply _way_ off. It was more akin to night more than anything. No matter how many times he sneaked a glance at the night sky it did nothing to calm his nerves. His mind was befuddled, like a fog came down and everything so hazy that he couldn't even make out his own hand. He felt prideful in the fact that he managed to recollect his name despite the emptiness in his head.

That tiny bit of pride did nothing to stave away the pains of his body. One look at his female companion told more than a thousand words to him, everyone was feeling just like him. Hungry, thirsty, fearful, distraught and tired, it felt like his body and mind were just moments away from crashing entirely. Ushio recalled the times he collapsed in the sands, unable to move his body. Luckily for him the girl; Rui, was there to drag him out of the dirt with a smile caught on her lips tighter than the cold during the winter.

However, four hours of relentless trekking without halt weighed all of them down. Forced to follow Spaelorr and Asterisk to wherever they were headed did nothing to improve the overall mood. Whenever anyone dared to utter the question; ' _Are we there yet?_ ' Asterisk answered with them with cold sensation of steel to their throats. No one made as much as noise anymore.

Finally Spaelorr and Asterisk halted. The group mostly let out sighs and groans of relief, even the occasional curses were audible just for Ushio. If Asterisk caught wind of the dirt some of guys and gals were talking behind her back, she'd most likely lobb their heads off. Like she likes to proclaim every now and then.

The area itself was rather unremarkable, the only thing that contrasted the black desert sands was a lone, dead tree. It looked just as foreign as all of us did in the desert. Spaelorr was up and about soon and pushed in several pieces of dried bark, some crunching later and a hatch shot open just behind the tree.

Wordlessly, Asterisk vaulted into the hole in the ground, leaving the group even more restless as they witnessed her reckless action.

With a stern tone Spaelorr finally spoke for the first time since they left. ''Enter.''

Ushio saw how most of the group relented to follow his order, clinging tightly onto their cloaks, or the blue haired girl's case her gray leather jacket. It took a while before a voice within the group boomed out in agitation.

''Have some sense, people. It couldn't be much colder out there then it would be here,'' Aitarou said.

Spaelorr nodded. ''We have food and water prepared, feel free to make use of the provisions. When you made your way to our compound.''

That was all the persuasion the others needed to hear before hoisting themselves up to their feet and lower themselves into the hatch. A large and tall man helped the a young girl inside and a petite boy, before aiding Rui as well. Then the large man himself went in, and the other robed people and the blue haired girl followed till it was just Spaelorr and Ushio.

''This.. This is safe, right? You're not going to hurt us, right?'' His voice and fist quivered.

Spaelorr straightened to look him dead in the eye. ''As long as your vow remains true. You're now valued members of Black Desert, there is no other way of life left for you beside this one, stay safe. You do well to remember that, young one.''

Ushio swallowed the lump of saliva in his throat before descending in the hole, he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly and he climbed downwards. He knew this could be a trap, he knew it very well. But he couldn't run and leave everyone to their fate, besides he had nothing. How would he survive the desert all alone? There is nothing he could do except to trust these strangers.

The last thing he saw before complete darkness took over, was Spaelorr closing the hatch with a frown glued to his face.

* * *

Ushio stumbled through the darkness uncomfortably. He'd figured that Asterisk would've lit a torch by now, perhaps he overestimated her resourcefulness or underestimated her perception, whichever it was didn't matter. With his hands sticking to the wall he shuffled his way through the dark corridor. It seemed to him that everyone was far and far ahead of him.

''Uh.. Hello? Anyone there?''

A faint sobbing answered him, but with no way to discern who was there, Ushio tensed up. Did they already covered so much ground? Rui was certainly gone and beside the sobbing there was no sign of anyone else near him.

He continued to shuffle forwards with the wall as an guide, ''Hello? Hell- Gwah!''

Careening forwards, Ushio crashed into hard floor, his head went in first the rest of his body followed. The disgusting taste of sand was pressing onto his lips and caused the poor sod to gag and spittle around him.

 _'It's a good thing none saw that..'_

''Eww.. Stop spitting all over the place.'' The once sobbing voice said.

 _'Totally jinxed it..'_

Ushio recollected himself and wiped the sand off of his lips, tactfully ignoring the jab made at him. ''You okay? I heard you crying after all.''

''I wasn't crying at all!'' The person cleared their throat. ''I was doing bad before, but thanks to your clumsiness I'm doing even worse! I have spittle all over me!'' The voice half-shouted.

''Uh.. Sorry. Didn't mean to do that.''

''You better be sorry, It's all your fault that I feel this bad now. I just want to go home, why am I stuck with all these strange people..?''

While a vein did start thumping in Ushio's head for the person's rudeness, after all he did apologize the least they could do is accept it. He felt rather sorry for the person despite that, just like himself the person beside, in front or wherever they are, is just as much at an impasse as he was. Maybe he should cut the person some slack, this is a foreign situation for everyone, right?

''Are you lost?'' Ushio muttered.

''I was with that big man and a tiny girl and that girly girl who never seems to stop smiling. But a trap was set off and one of the corridors crashed down, cutting me off from the rest.''

A bead of sticky sweat rolled down from Ushio's scalp. ''Rui was with you?'' His mouth then drops as realization hits. ''Wait! There are traps here? Then.. Then did Spaelorr lie, after all?''

''Huh? You're not making any sense? What about Spaelorr, did he say something else?''

Snapping out of it, Ushio focused himself on the current objective at hand. Now wasn't the time to worry about Spaelorr's loyalties, he had to make through this maze and no way would he leave someone behind if he could help it.

''Nevermind. I was just rambling.''

''I see,'' The voice turned somber.

''So.. Who are you? As you can see, it's quite dark so I can't make out who are by your features and all. Or even if you're a man or a woman'' Ushio said with a apologetic smile.

''Its Hope Hakazei, Mr. Spittle. A 15-year old, healthy boy.''

Ushio laughed nervously. ''You're really mad about that aren't you..'' He took a deep breath. ''Uhmm.. I'm Ushio, Ushio Tachibana. It's nice to meet you.''

The sounds that Hope made suggested that they began to stand own their own two feet again, ''Likewise, Ushio Spittle.''

''Yep, I'm certain now. You really hate me.''

''No, that belongs to that _woman_ , Asterisk. You are just annoying,'' The way Hope spat out the word ' _woman_ ', made Ushio wary about Asterisk's true gender. Perhaps she really wasn't a woman, but a..

Pushing those weird thoughts away, Ushio prepped his body to take the next step forwards only to feel quite light-headed and dizzy. Odd, why was he feeling so bad? Perhaps it was the lack of food and water.. Yeah, that must be it.

 _'Wait! How am I annoying?!'_

Ushio sighed as he held his head in his hand and leaned on the wall for support. ''C'mon Hope, let's get you out of here before we turn to dust ourselves.''

Ushio near certain that he heard Hope gasp at his statement. He nearly wanted to announce that it was just a prank but Hope already sped past him, while he wondering what the hell was going on, and why this situation was thrust upon him, Ushio inched forwards; step by step.

* * *

''Hey, Ushio.''

''Hmm,'' Ushio eyelids felt heavy, seems like his body is even sleep-deprived among all the problems. Shuffling forwards was draining him greatly, sometimes he wondered if the lack of nutrients was really the cause for all this lightness in his skull.

''Sorry about before,'' Hope said. ''I know you're not at fault, it's just.. Everything is just scaring the living crap out me. Asterisk, that big guy, you and that Spaelorr too.''

Ushio smiled meekly. ''Don't worry about it, sometimes we start off on the wrong foot. I'm not blaming you for letting it out on me, I think I'm really used to having people turn to scapegoat me for their issues. In fact I nearly forgot you blamed me, it's kinda strange really.''

''Oh..'' Hope's response was dim and faint.

The two paced unevenly through the darkness, sometimes they were forced a choice, to go on straight ahead, left, right, diagonally or sometimes even down under. The expedition through maze was draining, Hope kept complaining about how his sneakers were constricting his feet and how hungry or thirsty he was. Ushio honestly felt great about the fact that he wore sandals; without socks of course, what kind of monster would wear that?

Their perception of time soon began to run amok, with no idea how it was on the outside world. It felt as if they were stuck within the maze for hours on end. So far Ushio and Hope didn't run into other people. Wherever they might be, they might have it even worse than the two of them. Ushio was focused on keeping his head held high most of all, if he were to faint now Hope would be all by himself.

No way, that he could pass out knowing that Hope would be alone and scared.

The thought of going back to the hatch also crossed his mind, but the dark was so disorienting and the occasional wider corridors made it mentally impossible to get your bearings. Backtracking was a lost cause now, besides who could say that Spaelorr didn't barricade it all together.

 _'I should've went with my gut feeling and warn everyone. I could've saved them.. I should've.. Why didn't I do more..?!'_

An agonizing scream resounded from their right, the moment the scream caught Hope's ears. He nearly almost collapsed mentally in sheer fear, Ushio shook him out of his fear-induced state by giving him purpose, after all there was no way that Ushio could leave that person behind. No matter how much his heart thumped in his chest.

The two rushed forwards in the direction of the scream. Their sense of sound totally dulled away by the sensation of rushing air against their ears.

''Hold on, We're comin-''

Ushio slammed hard into another person, he smashed his skull against a wall before landing against the cold floor again. All the air he had within his lungs expelled, causing him to drink the air greedily. He saw stars and throbbing pain assaulted his mind, worsening his already muddled mind.

''Ushio? You okay? Did you fall again?'' Hope said, his voice sounded hazy to Ushio.

''Ugh..'' Ushio wanted to say that he was okay, but the impact dulled his brain. Nothing but incomprehensible waste came out of his mouth.

''Hope?'' A new voice said in a perplexed tone, almost as if he was surprised to find another human stuck in the same predicament.

''Yes? And you are?''

''Takashi O- Ozawa.'' The voice seemed dull and fearful.

''Thank goodness. Other people.. I was with Aitarou, but I lost him. I thought.. I thought I would.. Never see anyone ever again..'' Takashi began to sob.

''Yeah, don't worry about that. I think we still qualify as people, Takashi,'' Ushio managed push out of his mouth as he sat and caught his breath again.

''Ushio, I.. I'm so.. So.. Sorry. I didn't.. I didn't mean to run into you.'' He was still sniffling between words.

''It's okay, I tripped myself earlier. Just give me a moment to catch my breath.''

''Takashi,'' Hope began. ''You heard the scream too, right?''

''Y.. Yeah, I was just going to.. check it.'' Takashi's tone seemed to suggest that he really loathed his own idea.

''C- Could you go on ahead. I really have to tend to Ushio.''

Ushio wheezed, the sound of his squeaking throat scared him. ''I'm okay. Just go with Takashi, I'll be there in a minute.. Or ten.''

''But I really should stay here and-''

''Just go with him, Hope.''

Slowly the two got their gears going and ran to wherever the sound came from. Ushio was sure that they had their reasons for not wanting to go, it was quite obvious to him. Voices do give a lot away, even if he can't see their faces.

Ushio groaned as the pain drummed in his head. The throbbing pain seemed to escalate like a balloon. It was awful, it felt more his head was crack open like an egg and the yolk would just drip out. The thought similarly disgusted him and made him even hungrier, momentarily Ushio wondered as to how Hope and Takashi would've looked, would they carry faces of determination or fear? He felt bad for sending them on ahead, but the guilt decimated as the pain began to dull, groggily he hoisted himself to his feet.

Another horrid scream followed, and the next came soon after, then the third one, before stopping entirely. Leaving him with quietness and the walls around him. It felt like forever before he felt strong enough to take the first step. He took a moment touch his scalp and found a queer wetness against his fingers, the pain was an dull ache, and by now Ushio had a pretty good idea about his situation.

He really _needed_ to get everyone out of here.

* * *

 _Smash!_

''Please! Stop..'' Takashi whimpered.

 _Shuffle!_

''We need to get going before those things circle back!'' Hope's voice grew more and more frantic.

 _Crash!_

''Shut up, runt! I'm not leavin' Ashna there to die.'' A new voice interjected.

 _Clash!_

''We're all gonna die if you keep making more noise! They'll tear us to shreds just like Ashna.''

Yells and screams of frustration resounded around Ushio, he needed to hurry and find the exit already. According to whomever the voice belonged to, new dangers are stuck in the maze just as he weened. He wheezed greatly as he jogged his way towards the origin of the voices.

 _Thud!_

''Eima! W- We need to go now!'' Takashi tried to assert. ''I can hear it, hear their moans. They'll be on us soon!''

 _Slam!_

''Go ahead without me! Save your own skin, it's not like you give a damn anyway!'' The girl, Eima yelled.

 _Whack!_

''We can't do that, Eima. We need to get Ushio and you out of here. Preferably before we're torn to ribbons!'' Hope said.

Ushio bit his lip, they was quickly falling apart. There is not much time, he needed to arrive there before they all split up or run away. Or else he'd be stuck alone and pass out sooner or later, if he did that then it would be all over for him. Those things can swoop in and kill him while he's out cold, but eventually they'll hunt down and kill Hope, Takashi and that girl, Eima, one by one.

 _'No way I'm letting that happen..'_

''Hope, Takashi, Eima! What's going on?''

''There is s- something in this cavern that want us dead..'' Takashi muttered, almost in audibly.

''What?!'' Ushio nearly yelled. ''You mean that you guys were serious about that.''

''Why the fuck would we lie about that!'' Eima snarled.

''Keep you freaking voice down. You're drawing them in faster hungry seagulls.'' Hope snapped.

''Oh hell no, runt. You're not pulling this crap on me.''

Hope sounded quite offended. ''What crap? I'm saving your butt by telling you to cram it.''

''Don't disrespect me.''

''Who cares at this point. We're gonna die if we don't keep quiet!'' Hope spat.

''Could all of you just _shut the flying fuck up_!'' Takashi screamed, his voice was breaking.

Everyone went silent, and that's when Ushio first heard it. The guttural moans that emanated through the maze's corridors. With every passing second the moaning grew more intense in volume, it was unnerving. It brought chills down Ushio's, it also sounded inhuman to him, no human could produce such ear rending sounds. Gurgling on a mixture of it's own saliva and blood, that was what the sound reminded him off.

''We need to go, Eima.'' Ushio tried to convey calmly.

''I can't leave her behind, Ashna saved my ass. I can't abandon her.'' Eima's demeanor began to crumble just like her strong sounding voice. ''She pushed me past this cave in, doomin' herself. Do you know how agonizin' it was to hear her scream her lungs out? To hear- No feel her fear and pain!''

Ushio's facial expression scrunched up and he found it hard to reply. ''I can't share what you feel. But I do sympathize with you. It's not easy losing anyone, Eima. Yet, if you choose to stay here, you'll invalidate Ashna's sacrifice. Are you capable of carrying that burden?''

''...''

Eima returned no witty or strong-headed reply. It was almost as if she was soaking in the words Ushio said to her. ''Funny, that sounded way more familiar than I thought it would be. You're right, it wouldn't be grateful of me if I did.''

The girl sighed. ''She could still be alive for all I know and if I abandon her. She'll most certainly be dead. _Are you capable of carrying that burden_?''

Ushio grimaced. ''I.. I..''

''You can't, huh? I figured as much..''

''We need to go! If we stay any longer we will run into those things and we will die.'' Hope urged with a trembling voice.

''Can we go?'' Ushio asked. ''I don't really want to stay a moment longer in this place.''

''Don't think this is over, I'm still holdin' you accountable.''

''L- Let's go..''

''Right behind you, Spittle.''

* * *

The resonance of running boomed all around Ushio, with an arm outstretched and his fingers brushing against the uneven stone walls. Multiple pairs of feet nearly moved in tandem as they cut corners, ran straight ahead and caught their breath every now and then. It was only after some time that Ushio noticed that the tandem of feet turned into lone pair.

''Talk to me guys.'' Ushio spoke.

Only silence answered him back, dread began to settle in his mind. Ushio slowed his jogging and tried to regain his breath while he leaned against a nearby wall. The sound of moaning was slowly encroaching his hearing.

''Guys?''

An unrefined snort came from Eima. ''I'm just pullin' your leg, we're all still here.''

''Oh, come on.'' Ushio said.

Hope laughed. ''Sorry the opportunity just couldn't be passed up.''

''Uh..'' Takashi started. ''H- Hate to ruin all your fun, but.. The moaning it's getting closer.''

''How damn fast are those things..?''

Ushio swallowed. ''I don't know Eima, and I sure as hell don't want to find that out.''

Jogging around the nearest corner Ushio yelped as bony, cold hands clasped around his throat. Its fingers dug into the soft flesh of his neck and while he tried to fight it. It was just too strong, he could feel the pressure build up on his skin. In moments his skin will burst and the bony fingers would explore the insides of his windpipe.

That was the case, until someone slammed into the thing's side; forcing it to relent its grip. Ushio wheezed for air, rubbing the sore spots near his Adam's apple. He felt someone tugging him upright, and stabilize his wobbly legs.

''Y- You okay..? Uh.. Ushio?''

Ushio couldn't respond, his body was just in sheer shock after being that close to death.

He could only vaguely hear the sound of a scuffle over his thumping ears. A whirlwind of colorful swear words, along panicked shrieks and statements that sounded eerily similar to ' _kill it with fire_ ', was all he manged to overhear as the person shuffled him to safety.

''Shut up, Hope! Could really use a fuckin' hand against this thing!''

''Woman, I can't see a single thing. Where even is it?''

''It's in front of me dipshit! It's nearly pokin' my fuckin' eye out for fuck's sake.''

''Oh!'' The sound of something crashing against the stone wall filled Ushio's eardrums.

''Thanks for nothing, chump.''

''What? I did great! I saved your butt, didn't I?'' Hope sounded quite pleased.

They ran; as fast as their bodies could muster. The shuffling of their feet was only outspoken by the moans of whatever those creatures were. Eventually light was finally visible at the end of the tunnel. It felt so bright that Ushio's eyes nearly teared up then and there. An exit was right in front of them and they can make it.

They just need to-

The wall next to them exploded into tiny crumbles of rock, several of them pelted the group members. Takashi took the brunt of the shrapnel in Ushio's stead, he knew since Takashi threw him to the ground as it happened. Disorientation and dull pain in his skull was finally getting to him. Ushio felt his eyes spinning out of control. He felt so tired, he just needs some sleep. Ten minutes, that would do.

Ten minutes would be.. More than fine.

''Mom.. I'll just take a nap here. You.. Won't mind right,'' Ushio felt the words escape his lips unconsciously.

''Hell no, son,'' A voice resounded back.

Ushio laughed, he couldn't believe he was having a conversation with his fictional mom. Is this actually reality? Or was just so sleep deprived that he was hallucinating stuff. It wouldn't hurt to try.

''Mom, I-''

A stinging sensation suddenly encroached his cheek. Ushio's drowsiness and disorientation vanished instantly and he found himself staring into the earthly eyes of a blue haired girl. Her hair glimmered as the light reflected off of it, it was styled into a side-cut bob, and her nose was pierced. The girl looked positively pissed off, Ushio couldn't help but to bite his lips in fright.

''Don't ever call me _mom_ again,'' Eima wrapped an arm around Ushio to support him.

They ran forwards, in the distance Ushio could see that Hope and Takashi had been throwing rocks to keep the creatures at bay. As they approached the light, they spy that was it a hard iron door, with a small window. The golden light seeped from it.

''We made it! We made it!'' Hope exclaimed in delight.

''Ha- Hahaha,'' Takashi laughed with a trembling voice.

Hope was the first to make it. He smashed at the door, clamoring that it needed to be opened. Takashi followed, he warily surveyed the back line of the group. His eyes never left the darkness behind them. The moment Eima and Ushio arrived, Eima responded with kick at the iron door. An unfamiliar oblong shaped face peeked up from the window, his face was adorned with a large scar on his cheek and black buzzcut embellished his scalp. The light brown eyes gazed at all of them with a certain alertness.

Ushio assumed that he deemed them harmless as he opened the door and let them through. Takashi nearly jumped to safety and Hope didn't know whether run or walk and assumed an awkward hybrid of the two. While as Eima carried Ushio inside, he felt so at ease, so happy that made it along with everyone else that his legs buckled; causing him to crash onto the wooden floorboards.

It was only now that he could see that was bleeding, his white T-shirt was sticky with his blood. His face was nearly glued to the floorboards due to it. Gasps of alarm resounded through whoever was near. He felt so tired, he couldn't even wiggle his head an inch.

''Should've known that it was this bad..'' Ushio mumbled to himself.

''Ushio?!'' A voice yelped, he recognized the owner of it. It was Rui's.

More and more frightened voices began to wedge and their way around Ushio. Everything began to blur, was he dying? Had he lost that much blood? His skull thumped at the thought. Ushio's limbs were motionless and his eyelids began to droop.

 _'I guess, I'll take ten minutes off. No one would mind, right?'_

* * *

 **Author Note  
**

* * *

 **And there you go, the very first (true) chapter of _From Ashes To Dust._ In all honesty I struggled with how I was supposed to represent these characters on paper, especially Hope, Amaya and Loren were tricky for me. I do hope that they came out alright just like I believe the rest are the rest.**

 **Originally, this chapter and the next one should be one whole. Yet, due to time constraints I wasn't able to finish it in time. I'm really sorry about that, so in order to not leave you dry and waiting. I decided to split up the current monster of 8 000 words, into approx 5 000 each. If your character didn't made into this chapter, don't be alarmed they will be in the next and they will have a sizable chunk of dialogue and perhaps some head traumas just like poor Ushio..**

 **Expect a much slower pacing (for the most part) next chapter and a new POV character, take three wild guess on who it will be. I dare you.**

 **Now then, I ask of you. How was this chapter? I want brutally honest thoughts. This SYOC is an training for me after all, I am doing for both fun and in order to get better in the writing arts.**

 **Nevertheless, I wish all of you lots of reading pleasure from either this story or any other.**

 **(Psst.. You can always send in new characters, even if your own dies at some point.)**

 **\- Gem**


	3. The Breach In The Mountain (Rui)

_[Level 2 - The Breach In The Mountain]_

* * *

 **Day - 1  
**

 ** _Rui_**

* * *

 _'Darn it Ushio, what happened..?'_

Rui burried her head in her arms. The cracks on the wooden bar table suddenly seemed _so_ much more interesting to her, it certainly beat the clean up duty she managed to avoid by a hair. Looking at Ushio's blood nearly caused her to regurgitate all the bread and water she managed to cram in her stomach. Rui felt terrible about his condition, she had no idea about the dangers that lurked in the darkness of that maze.

''You okay, Hitsuga?''

The voice came from a tower of man, who clearly seemed older than most of the people currently in the barroom. His short sleeved, green t-shirt did little to cover the muscle on his arms, his light jeans was showing signs of wear and his brown boots were littered with scratches. He wore a frown on his scarred face, with his free hand he fingered his buzzcut and took a seat beside Rui. His light brown eyes were comforting like warm earth and detracted greatly from his birthmark by his left eye.

''I'm just _so very_ peachy, Mr. Uto.'' Rui grumbled, not even giving him the time of day.

''You sure don't seem to act like that.'' His response was shrug of his shoulders. ''Also It's _Lysen_ , don't call me mister. It makes me feel so much older than I am,'' Lysen Uto complained.

''I was sarcastic, _mister_ Lysen,'' She hoisted her head out of her arms.

''That's quite unlike yourself, _girly_.''

Rui felt her mood slump even more. It didn't help that Lysen was quite worried for her, she hated it when people express their worry for her. She didn't know why, but it the way a person's eyes expressed pity wasn't quite liked by her. _Still_..

''Thanks for taking over cleaning in my stead,'' Rui tried to wriggle the corners of her lips into a smile.

''It's nothing. With the state of shock you were in, I doubt that you wanted to do that chore. Especially since the two of you are close.''

''We're not.. _Close_ ,'' Rui pouted. ''Ushio is just fun to prank, that's all.''

Lysen clicked his tongue and faced the row of bottles adjacent to him. ''What would even count as close for us? Considering the state of our memories.''

Rui winced.

Her memories; it was topic she desperately tried to avoid in order to keep things light and happy. No matter how much effort she invested into uncovering any kind of clue, she found nothing. It was an obsolete task, only her name, age and bodily proportions came to her. It was both incredibly infuriating and immensely saddening at once. Rui knew that she made a vow to join Black Desert, but how would her life look after this day? How could she even live knowing that she might have left an entire past of friends and family behind?

 _What was she supposed to do now?_

''I need a drink..'' She leaned forwards and tried to get one of bottles of distilled liquid placed on the counter.

Lysen snatched the bottle away, he glared at her. ''Rui, how old are you?''

''Sixteen.''

Lysen's glare worsened in intensity, causing Rui to shudder.

''Okay, okay! I get it. Jeez, what crawled up you frilly panties?!''

''You'd better get it. I was just moments away from smacking you with that bottle. Maybe that'll knock some sense into you.''

Rui laughed due to her lapse of judgment. ''Yeah, underage drinking is pretty damn stupid.''

''Good girl,'' Lysen snickered.

A comfortable silence ensued, forcing Rui to survey her surroundings. Specks of dust glided through the air effortlessly, like levitating feathers. What caught her attention was the iron door on her left. Ushio's bloodstains were still somewhat visible on the wooden floorboards, and it made Rui's stomach churn. What unsettled her even more was the sound of something clawing at the door. Somewhere at some point in time, someone covered up the small window with a piece of cloth; Rui couldn't thank that person enough for doing so, the stories that came out of Hope's mouth were more than unsettling enough to give her nightmares for weeks.

Twisting her body behind her, she saw the blue haired girl in a similar state as herself; eyes closed, facing towards the ground and apathetic to everything around her. When she saw the look on her face, she was really happy that she was able to venture the maze with Lysen, Amaya and Loren. Lysen and Loren especially, they turned out to be more than just reliable.

Amaya however, was.. _Unpleasant_.

Adjacent to blue hair sat the loose-lipped Aitarou, he seemed to be conversing eagerly with her. The girl however, never responded with more than just a slight pivot of the head. A number of wooden tables and chairs were stationed, decorated with lit oil lamps and decks of playing cards. Some of these tables still have the meals Asterisk and Spaelorr promised, it makes sense that the others weren't able to eat much after what happened to Ushio and the stories accompanied with them.

On her other side she spied a sort of war room. A large board made of cork and wood covered the entire wall and beneath it were several small bookshelves and a sheathed, curved blade. Rows of seats were placed there in order to accommodate the people who needed to listen to those lectures. Just next to one of the rows of seats was a spiral staircase that led to a whole other floor.

In front of her was of course, the bar. The wall was decorated with shelves full of alcohol bottles, they comprised out of all the colors of the rainbow. There were small labels attached to the sides of the bottles revealing their names, alcohol percentage and the ingredients used to make them. There was also a large barrel filled to the brim of water. The slightest push might make it spill its contents, don't want that to happen.

Rui faced Lysen again. ''Do you think Ushio will be okay?''

Lysen looked away.

''Well, that certainly says enough.''

''It's not that I don't think he has a bad shot at survival. It's more that I'm curious how he managed to gain such wounds in the first place.''

Rui sighed. ''You and me both.''

A smirk slowly encroached her lips, and she shot at Lysen with her finger-gun. ''It's truly a _shot in the dark_. Ayyy?''

'' _No_ ,'' Lysen squinted. ''Just _no_.''

''Too soon?''

Lysen grumbled, unwilling to answer Rui.

''I would like to speak with that girl. Simply to ask what went down,'' Lysen's eyes darted around. ''It's just that she hasn't said a word ever since Asterisk is treating Ushio. To be frank she looks a tad too much like an hardass at the moment, maybe I'll try some other time.''

''But how can you be _Frank,_ if you are _Lysen_?'' Rui nearly cracked up from her own joke.

Lysen's eyes were hollow and cold.

Rui's attention turned to the blue haired girl, her were eyes fixated at the table. She was still ignoring Aitarou to the best of her ability. Maybe she should lend a hand. Then blue hair might just spill the beans with her, it sure would beat sitting and waiting until Asterisk came out of that room upstairs. Besides she was curious about blue hair, it seemed to her that people with piercings were rather rare. It does seem fun to chat with her a bit.

A sudden guilt washed over Rui. Perhaps she should've spoke to her earlier, if so then maybe she wouldn't be so alone as she was now. Rui hopped off of her bar stool and preened her blue hoodie and black shorts. She refocused her attention back to Lysen who in turn emptied the liquid inside the bottle, she prodded his arm.

''Hey! Lysen! Are _you_ old enough to drink?'' Rui's eyes narrowed.

''I'm twenty three. I do think I deserved a drink at this age.''

Rui's eyes twinkled. ''I guess you could say that-''

''No.''

She ignored his interjection. ''Beauty is the eye of-''

''No, no, no.''

''-The _beerholder_. Ayyy?''

In that moment Rui never power-walked as fast as she did then. She could swear that Lysen's eyes were about to pop out of his skull, that and the fact that the alcohol bottle was about to burst with the way he pressured it. Completely and totally worth it in her own honest opinion. She roared with laughter as strutted towards Aitarou and the blue haired girl.

''Seems like something hit your funny bone. Ehh?'' Aitarou managed to blurt out, a smirk caught on his features.

In the distance Lysen screamed until his voice cracked, and then traipsed the stairs and made his way out of the barroom.

''What's his issue?'' Aitarou rose a brow.

''Couldn't handle our combined punning power, I do sport a massive punpower,'' Rui had a fat grin.

''Eh.. He's kind of a tough nut to crack with that sort of thing,'' Aitarou rubbed his chin, seemingly in thought.

''Guess you could say he's a _nut job_ for that sort of thing.''

A loud smack caught both Aitarou and Rui's attention. It seemed that the blue haired girl smashed her her head against the table, she repeated the action two fold before mumbling with growl.

'' _Make.. It.. Stop_..''

Aitarou's eyes widened. ''Look who decided to breathe, that most I've gotten out of her all day.''

''Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to bore the both of you with my puns,'' Rui rubbed her hair sheepishly. ''I was just here to borrow your.. Lady friend.''

The girl's head rose, her eyes nearly shone. ''Yes! Separate me from this.. Dishonest clusterfuck of hairdo.''

''Ouch,'' Rui blurted, as her eyes went to Aitarou's colorful hair.

Aitarou shrugged. ''It's mutual,'' Aitarou twisted to glare at the girl momentarily. ''I was just kind of worried for her mental health, but I'm pretty jealous of the fact you two haven't really met-''

''Hah! Your ass must be jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth.'' The girl stuck out her tongue.

''Perhaps it was a shitty idea of mine to deal with you for an extended period of time,'' Aitarou hoisted himself from his seat and faced Rui. ''She's all yours.''

He walked off and never bothered looking back. Rui kind of felt for him; he seemed like a nice fellow, but in a way he unsettled her. His niceties almost seemed forced in her opinion. Like he was hiding his true feelings to everyone. However, something about the way his fist trembled as he walked away.

 _Seemed_ _off_..

Rui shifted her gaze to the girl in front of her and flashed her a toothy grin.

''Hiya! I'm Rui, we haven't really met and all.. I wanted to fix that.''

''You're the first then.''

''Y- You.. Uh,'' Rui fell silent for a bit. ''You can't stand Aita, can't you?''

The girl was dumbfounded. ''The fuck's an _Aita_?''

''Aitarou, the half-and-half blond brunette guy with a indigo cut-off shirt, firm arms and baggy camouflage trousers.''

The girl snorted, in a flash Rui saw that her ears were pierced as well. ''You have a weird taste in men.''

''Ah..'' Rui's face began to heat up. ''It's not that I like him or anything!''

The girl smirked. ''What is this an Anime? Relax, fireface. It's just a prank.''

''What's an Anime?'' Rui questioned with a inclined head.

''Your guess is as good as mine.''

Blue hair nodded her head in direction towards the wooden seat. ''Are you gonna stand all day?''

''Oh.'' Rui plopped down the chair and let out a sigh of relief.

''It's Eima, by the way.''

''Wha-''

''My name. Eima Yakasha, there you go. No you can _buzz off_.'' Eima gave her a hard stare.

Rui's nerves were reaching the point of tension. She struggled speaking with this Eima, she had an sort of air to her that suggested she'd squash you if you even showed her the slightest weakness. All the fibers in her body struggled to stay with such a high-risk person, but she held her goal aloft, right in front of her eyes.

''I want to know what happened to all of you in the maze.''

''There you go, you're finally honest with me for once.''

''Pardo-''

''You know what's the most dangerous thing in the world is?''

Rui blanched. ''What?''

Eima leaned over leaving naught but a finger length between herself and Rui. Her brown eyes were hard and stern. Rui swallowed hard, those eyes looked frightening. They looked _dead_.

''Liars.'' Eima's glare was unwavering. ''Liars who think they're tellin' the truth.''

''And you think I'm lying to you, because?'' Rui's heart thundered.

''I'm not accusin' you. _Yet_. See as warnin' of sorts.'' Eima backed down and seated herself calmly.

Agitation bubbled within Rui. ''Well I can see why no one bothered to approach you.''

''Oh? Please do enlighten me with your wisdom. How do you think I'm supposed to act?''

''Not like that! Try to be more amiable.''

''Against the same people who purposefully try to keep their distance from me.''

Rui ruffled her hair and rolled her eyes. ''You're just impossible to work with, aren't you?''

Eima crossed her arms. ''All in a day's work.''

Silence fell and while Rui herself looked away, she felt Eima's gaze inspecting every inch of her. She cared little for Eima thanks to her attitude, however some of them had a bit of truth to them. Rui was one of the people who distanced themselves from her, and while she felt guilty for doing that. Eima's attitude completely ruined her desire to apologize however.

''What happened in there?'' Rui asked.

''The same that will happen to you if don't go _really_ soon.''

''What is with you?! I am asking you as a normal human being, answer me.''

''Has it crossed any of you people's thick fuckin' skulls that I don't want to deal with all your petty bullshit!''

''I'm just worried, okay! You're _not_ helping!''

''Save it for someone who gives a fuck! I don't! Now get the fuck out, before I grab you by your hair and drag you across the entire damn compound!''

Rui's hands trembled. ''I don't think you'll do that, Eima. If you would- You would've done it by now.''

''Try me, _bitch_. Give me a reason, _one reason_.''

The bar went ghost-quiet, Eima and Rui glared each other down. She knew that if she backed down that this situation would be all over, no conflicts needed to escalate any further. But she was in no way let Eima boss her around as if she owned her. She wanted to this to escalate, deep down it would feel so satisfying to slap this no-good-piece-of-trash.

She didn't though, because that is not the person Rui wants to be. _Ever_.

Rui stood up and walked away.

A quick glance over her shoulder displayed that Eima retook her depressing posture and blocked out everything around her. Somewhere, she felt sorry for her. No one should be left feeling whatever she felt, but Eima is awfully insistent on keeping everyone at an arm's length just like Rui and most of the others did to her. Perhaps that's where Ushio differed from the rest, no matter whom or what he remained honest, open, friendly and willing to see past others' questionable behavior.

As she ascended the the staircase, she wondered..

If she could be like that one day.

* * *

''Aaah! I really needed that.'' Rui exclaimed as she dried her face with a rug of animal fur.

She preened her hair for a bit before stepping out of one of the many room designated for sleeping. The rooms themselves weren't anything much, but the fact that they had their own barrel of water and toilets really were something that stuck out to her. There was also a mattress and some sheets, but while Rui did felt tired, she couldn't sleep.

So much thoughts swam through her mind. Eima attitude and her words about liars, Ushio's condition, Asterisk tending Ushio for hours now and even her own memories to boot. It was too much, the moment she entered her room she crashed and cried her sheets wet. And now an hour later she still felt no desire to depart to the land of dreams.

She felt powerless, and the feeling felt all too familiar to her. _Way too familiar_.

Rui grabbed a fistful of her cobalt hair and tied in neat ponytail thanks the the large mirror suspended on one of drab colored walls. She proceeded to step into her shoes and noticed the words written on it's side, _Converse_.

She smiled. ''It's time to _converse_ with some folks!''

Somehow, saying stupid puns and jokes aloud calmed her way more than it should. She chalked it up to being a really funny person before she lost her memories, she liked the thought of it. She also liked to imagine that she had lots and lots of friends and family, it made her current loneliness feel more bearable.

Rui stepped out of the room proceeded to scour every inch of the compound. On her way she found a small library where she found Takashi enjoying one of the many books in its repertoire.

Takashi sat at a simple wooden stool, the stool did little to accentuate his mediocre height. His shaggy black protruded everywhere, and his fringe was equally messy as the rest of his hair; It even veiled parts of his left eye. Takashi was clothed in a light gray shirt and black hoodie with white trimmings and similar colored diagonal stripes. His hoodie seemed loose-fitting, a tad too loose. He was _nearly_ swimming it. Beside that navy cargo pants clung to his legs and white sneakers to his feet for the _extra_ sleek appearance.

Rui entered his vicinity with a wave of her palm. But before she could even speak Takashi had already noted her existence.

He stiffened as he laid down one of many tomes he piled up on the table. ''A- Ah. Uh.. Rui was it? W- What a P- Pleasant surprise, I was skimming through these books.''

''Ah cool. Can I see?''

''S- Sure,'' Takashi handed one of the tomes.

''Hmmm,'' Rui squinted her eyes, as she made out the title of the tome.

''You really love music don't you?'' She handed the book back with a smile.

Takashi's cheeks turned rosy. ''I think.. I really used to like it, before I came here I mean.''

''Good on you! Keep up the good work. I think you should strive to pick that up again,'' Rui gave him an energetic double thumbs up, causing Takashi to giggle. ''Do you have any clue where the rest are?''

''Uhm..'' Takashi conspicuously began to hide his face more and more within the books. ''H- Hope and Mister Lysen were in the kitchen, I believe. I think that I saw Aitarou, Loren and Amaya in one of the four lookouts. I- I don't know where Eima and Ushio are, I'm sorry.''

''Don't worry about it, you helped way more than I expected to,'' Somehow Rui felt self-conscious for a moment, wondering if she was the reason that Takashi felt so flustered.

She was about to whirl on her feet to meet the next person, when..

''Do you think Ushio will be okay, Rui?'' Takashi almost whispered.

''Don't even ask, Takashi. You know the answer.''

With that she opened the door and slammed it shut.

* * *

The lookout was something else entirely to Rui. While most rooms in the compound were with either little or no use, the lookout felt different. It felt and smelled of importance. How could she smell that? The scent of sweat hung thickly in the air, it was a strong musk that despite the unpleasantness felt like it was part of the structure itself.

The very instant Rui walked inside she was greeted by a large brick wall that diverted half of the circular room. She assumed that it would act as an last ditch effort in order to lock out an enemy if they infiltrated this place. But honestly who could even find this place? It's hidden deep within the black desert. No one would be able to find it, without knowing of its existence.

The only thing that granted access to the other side of the half circle was a iron door bolted to the wall with bolts the size of her hands. She gave the door a light knock, after repeating that four times, a slide shifted and she stared at silvery eyes.

''Who is so foolish to brazenly knock on this door.''

Rui sighed as recognized its owner. ''It's me. Let me in, Amaya.''

''Password?'' Amaya asked flatly.

''Are you kidding me?''

''No. That's your job, and I'd _hate_ to steal it from you.''

''Amaya please.'' Rui felt a vein bulge, it took a lot out of her not to sound prickled.

Heavy metal slides shifted around and after a moment the door opened revealing a rather petite girl with parted, chestnut colored locks, an over-sized white hoodie that reached past her thighs along with a pair of black jeans and white shoes. Freckles adorned her small, lightly tanned nose and cheekbones. Everytime Rui saw Amaya she felt gobbling her up, due to how adorable she looked to her. She even felt that weird impulse in her gut that tells her to shout ' _aww'_ really loudly.

Curbing that feeling Rui stepped inside and nearly bumped her head against the long cylindrical pole mounted to the ceiling. ''Thankies.''

Amaya huffed. ''So what is your business?''

Rui's brow rose. ''Do I need to have a reason talk with you then?''

''It would be most efficient if you didn't bother me with needless banter,'' Amaya rolled her eyes.

''Way to be a moodkill. I am nice enough to visit you in this sweat infested lookout, and you just write me off like that.''

Amaya narrowed her eyes. ''No one asked for your company.''

 _'Okay Rui. Keep calm and ignore her attitude. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it.'_

Rui sighed. ''Where are Loren and Aita? I figured they would be here as well.''

''Loren is in the observatory, Aitarou left moments ago. Didn't you pass him on the way in?''

''No.. I didn't.''

''Blind and stupid. Well, what do you know?'' Amaya smirked.

 _'Ignore it. Ignore it.'_

Rui's smile twitched. ''Well Amaya, it's always a pleasure. But I'll leave you to whatever you're doing.''

''Getting the hell of your sight that's what.''

Rui was positively seething at this point. ''Do you _have_ to be like this, Amaya?''

''Certain people require certain finesse.'' Amaya started pacing out of the iron door. ''You need some spunk under your skin, Rui.''

Rui eyed the cylinder with binoculars attached to them and then to the opened hatch beneath it. She assumed that's where Loren dissipated to, but first things first..

''Oh- Oh! Oh! Well, F- Fu- Fuck Y- Fuck it, I'm not doing this.'' Rui slammed the door shut behind her and fingered her cobalt hair as she leapt down the hatch in the floor.

 _'Sometimes I wonder why I'm even trying.'_

* * *

Glass.

Glass and sand was everywhere. The floor she walked on, _glass_. The view around her, _sand_. Nothing around her seemed to change as she passed through. The endless hallway of glass and black sand stretched on forever. For some reason, she felt the glass beneath her shoes could crack the further she went, an irrational fear but a honest one.

''Loren!''

Loren's name bounced off the transparent walls, echoing back into her skull. The way her voice deformed made the hairs on her neck spring upwards. Rui hated this place, the compound was fine. But this place brought her the chills, the way her body reflected off every side of her, how the glass creaked beneath her and how she constantly felt like she being wat-

''Boo.''

Rui froze as the hot breath tickled her ears. For a second, her brain just couldn't compute it and she..

''Aaaah!''

Rui jumped and nearly crushed her head against the glass ceiling only to notice that Loren frolicked around with a shit-eating grin.

''Oh good god above.. The look on your face it's worth gold,'' He nearly doubled over from laughter.

Rui dropped to her knees, heaving. ''Shut up! It's not funny!''

''Perhaps you have a point.'' Loren's face relaxed to an expressionless one.

Rui whimpered as she held her head low to the floor.

Loren went red as an tomato. ''A- Are you crying?''

Rui's head sagged even further, her sniveling continued. ''No!''

''I- I didn't mean to.. I swear It was just a harmless joke, I mean you were so afraid.. An- And.''

Rui rose to her feet sticking out her tongue. ''Ha! Gotcha, you jerk.''

Loren's red face stiffened once more, he went to applaud her slowly. ''Good job. No really, praise you for messing with the fragile hearts of men.''

''Says you of all people!''

''You were the perfect target.''

''That still doesn't make it acceptable!''

Loren frowned and fingered his forehead awkwardly, as if he was pushing up non-existent glasses. ''I'll just stop. You're clearly not in the right mind for jokes.''

''I'm fin-''

The tension was overflowing inside her. Her fists were balled so tight that her knuckles were aching and raw. Once she noticed that she took a moment to recuperate and before she knew it she found herself mesmerized by Loren's features.

His sizable length of dark hair was bound in a ponytail, the bangs that fell in front of his face were as red as this world's moon. His eyes were as sharp as an knives, colored purple; a color that was something she believed to be physically impossible to have. A tiny scar marred his right eyebrow, detracting little from his rather impressive height, it wasn't nearly as impressive as Lysen's, Eima's nor Ushio's height but he still towered over her.

What was most peculiar was that unlike everyone beside Asterisk and Spaelorr, Loren had no slanted eyes, pale complexion, roundish flat face and small nose. He was completely the opposite in every way. Tanned skin, robust jawline, and notably more bushier brows than anyone else. Could it be that he, isn't from the same place as herself and the rest..?

Rui felt herself grasping the ends of her hoodie as she spied further.

He wore a simple blue zip-up hoodie and black shirt. Gray jeans on his legs and white and blue striped tennis shoes. Rui's eyes fell on the only accessory on his body, a silver cross that contrasted against his dark shirt.

''I'm sorry,'' Loren squeamishly preened his locks to the side.

''What?''

''Never mind that,'' Loren crossed his arms. ''What are you even doing here?''

Rui sighed. ''I couldn't sleep. So I figured that I could bore everyone else till they woke up.''

''Quality productivity, right there.'' Loren face palmed.

''You have no right to judge. Besides what are YOU even doing here?''

Loren's features darkened. ''Searching for a way to bail.''

Rui's face scrunched. She wanted cry out 'why', but before she even parted her lips she found herself agreeing with his intentions. They had a _very_ loose cannon and a sociopath who threatened everyone a painful death the moment they disobey. Staying here like this isn't the smartest thing, but was leaving a better alternative? Where would they go? How would they survive? How would Loren even convince everyone to join his risky venture into uncharted territory?

''Loren.. I think it's for the best that we at least hear Asterisk out. We don't know a thing about this place, I rather not trudge the dessert without anything to fall back on.''

The boy stiffened, his eyes caught between a frown and a scowl. ''Are you remotely serious, Rui?''

Loren's face tightened further. ''I don't know about you, but there is still a person missing! I'm not going to sit still and let them die.''

''Missing.. Person? But Loren everyone's her-''

''Azu Ashna.'' He interrupted. ''That is our missing person, I know for certain that this Spaelorr and Asterisk are behind this.''

''Oh god..'' Rui's eyes widened. ''You don't think that they hurt her, do you?''

''I pray that they didn't. But I don't have a good feeling about this.'' Loren's body shook. ''Listen Rui, if anything shady happens you need to-''

''There you are! I've searching my butt off for you two.'' A new voice boomed.

Rui whirled and suddenly faced an apron-wearing Hope, he looked agitated as he strutted towards the two of them. Hope's spiky black hair was everywhere, in the air, on his forehead, by his ears. Rui wondered if preening it would either take up a lot of time or hurt. His blue-green eyes were like a beacon contrasting against the night sky. The more he approached, the more Rui noticed to meagerly the young boy was built, he was nearly as thin a lass.

Underneath his 'please don't do anything to the cook' apron, he wore a blue jacket adorned with a purple neckerchief. Beneath that Rui managed to spot a sliver of his white T-shirt. Next to that he donned a black cargo pants with a white belt, a queer looking storage pack was also hanging over his leg, separating the glass from his feet were his black and silver sneakers.

''What hell you two?! Shit hits the fan and you both decide to hide out together.. Alone.. All by yourselves..'' Hope glanced around with his hands at his sides. ''..In this sandbank.''

''Wait why?'' Both Rui and Loren exclaimed.

''It's Asterisk. She's summoning us all to the war room for some _grand_ announcement,'' Hope rolled his eyes.

Rui's mouth corners twisted into a smile. ''Is it about Ushio? Did she mention him?''

''Don't know, can't tell. Better find out yourself.'' Hope shrugged.

Loren fingered his forehead awkwardly once more. ''Well, you two go on ahead. I'll be there later.''

Rui blanched. ''Are you daft, Loren? You don't know what Asterisk might pull if she knows you're gone.''

''Cover for me.''

''I'm not-''

Loren dashed off. Rui tried to reach out and hold him still, but he was way more swifter and agile than she was. He disappeared within the glass corridor moments after. Leaving Rui and Hope by themselves. Rui sighed before she felt a hand brush her shoulder.

''Let's skedaddle. I don't want to be on Asterisk's to torture list for today.''

And Rui couldn't agree anymore to that.

* * *

Once Rui and apronless Hope arrived at the war room, everyone minus Loren and Ushio were present, including Eima who loved to send death glares in Rui's direction. Several rows of seats in front of Eima sat the small clique of Amaya, Lysen and Takashi. Amaya seemed to be judging everyone who walked past her, seemingly from the way her eyes squinted at Rui and Hope. Takashi greeted the two rather meekly, his voice was naught but a whimper. And Lysen seemed to be at ease but still rather reserved. Aitarou, was seated in between the clique and unfriendly Eima. He didn't look too happy.

''Wait! What the unepic fuck?!'' Rui blurted as she shielded her eyes from something so unholy it endangered her innocence as a girl.

''Not. Cool.'' Hope added as he too shielded his eyes.

Next to Asterisk stood an unfamiliar shirtless man, in fact he would be entirely nude if it weren't for his briefs. The young man had chestnut messy hair that was swept to a single side. His brown eyes look as if the entire world was sleep-inducing at all times. He was about Loren's length and size, but a lot more pudgy near his stomach. As Rui and Hope finally took a seat on the first row beside Takashi, she noted that the man's thigh had an oval burn scar. She felt a twang of pity coursing through her.

''M- May I ask something?'' Takashi rose his hand in the air, he quivered as Asterisk looked him in the eye.

''Speak up.''

''Why is that man h- no, three quarter naked? I- It probably isn't my place or any-''

''We'll get there. _Just be_ _patient_.'' Her tone came more across as an absolute order than an piece of advice.

Takashi shrunk back into his seat with head as low as his neck could manage. Rui couldn't help pursing her lips at the sight of the scene. A quick glance at her side showed that Hope's frown intensifying by the minute.

''What are we even waiting for? This is colossal waste of time, just tell us what your gripe is.'' Amaya said.

Asterisk's expression turned cold. '' _Wait_. I'm not repeating myself anymore.''

The young man shuffled uncomfortably. ''Look Tina, aren't ye being a tad unreason-''

Shifted her face to her half-nude man, scowling while she did. '' _Don't_ call me that.''

''Tin-''

He stopped before he could finish uttering the last vowel. The tension in the air was thick and suffocating as Asterisk's fingers were inches from the man's eyes. How did she even move that quickly? Rui couldn't even track the motion.

The began to sweat like a fountain. ''Hey now, it's a joke. Ye know good ol' me, right amore?''

Asterisk returned to a normal posture and twisted her lips into a small smile. ''Do cram it from now on, stupid newt.''

That word.. 'Amore' it was more than just familiar to Rui. It felt like she was trying to recall that word an infinite amount of times before the youth blurted it out. She believed that the word was tied to a strong emotion of her.

''Love.'' She whispered, before facing the half-nude man. ''Say, mister. What does where does that word come from? Amore, I mean.''

The young man gave her a lazy smirk, still unaffected by the fact he was still nearly nude. ''I recalled it some time ago, after I hit my head. I believe it was part the language I spoke before arriving, well.. Here.''

Rui nodded, she turned averted her gaze from him instantly. Looking at his body set her cheeks on fire, how could a person handle this kind of humiliation?

The entire group's gaze collectively turned at the hard breathing of Loren who just descended the staircase in a rush. He was sweating quite profusely, Rui finally found out why the lookout was so smelly now. It must have came from from Loren's constant back and forth running. _How embarrassing_..

He took a seat beside Aitarou. ''Sorry, I got lost. It's a big place..''

Asterisk grunted in annoyance and the entire group turned their attention to Asterisk as she cleared her throat powerfully. She counted every head in the room save for herself and the man beside her.

''Eight.. No, nine isn't it?''

''Isn't what? Stop beating around the bush,'' Hope snarled.

Asterisk remained unresponsive for the most part. ''The amount of people, who survived that is.''

'' _Survived_? What's the meaning of this?!'' Lysen questioned.

Asterisk laughed softly. ''What? You think we just accept you in Black Dessert without verifying your basic skill set.''

''That maze you wandered through for hours that was your test, and we're missing one person. Don't tell me you've forgotten about that poor tenth person.''

Confused glances were exchanged among the most of them. Takashi and Hope simultaneously averted their eyes elsewhere. Rui's gaze instantly veered to Loren and Aitarou who both seemed to stare into blankly with disturbed expressions. She knew why..

''A- Ashna. We're Missing A- Ashna.'' Takashi said, his gaze to aimed to the ground.

Amaya looked appalled. ''How do you mean we're _missing_ Ashna?''

Takashi squeezed his eyes shut. ''S- She.. Sh-''

''She's dead.'' Eima knocked her chair aside as she rose and pointed towards Asterisk. ''She dead! And it's this bitch's fuckin' fault!''

Rui's eyes shot open as if she were a dear caught in headlights. Takashi began to shiver in his seat, Lysen and Loren caught wind of Eima's intentions as she paced towards Asterisk. Eima's fists were trembling and her eyes seething. The sheer anger emanating from her was staggering. Hope was simply starring in pure bafflement, Amaya expressed her exasperation with an exaggerated facepalm; muttering how all the people in this room were completely and utterly dimwitted.

Aitarou strangely enough seemed unfazed.

Loren grabbed her by the shoulder. ''Whoa there. Whatever is spinning around in your head at this moment. _Stop it_. _Now_.''

Eima wordlessly shoved Loren away, he nearly fell but was able to regain his just in time to witness Lysen blocking the girl's path.

Asterisk scrunched her brows. ''Are we seriously doing this?''

Eima scowled. ''Shut the fuck up! I don't want hear a single word from you!''

She gazed at the giant who stood in the way. ''Move!''

''I don't to see you get sliced to ribbons today. We have enough injured people as it is. I get that you're angry right now and-''

Lysen's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as Eima delivered a haymaker in his groin. The men in the room collectively cringed, and the youth in boxers even yelped. Lysen fell to his knees clutching at his.. Family jewels. Rui and Hope rushed over to his side and helped seating him. The first thing that came to her mind was to chastise Eima, to insult her and tear the blue hair off her head. But she held her tongue as she watched Asterisk and Eima engage a glaring competition.

The half-nude youth leapt in between them. ''Ti- Aster. Don't do this, she's just confused. No need for more people to get hurt okay?''

Asterisk stared at him as if he was carried the stench of something rotten. ''No. This girl needs to learn her place. After all, it's kill or be killed in this world.''

Asterisk pushed the youth aside and stepped towards Eima without a care in the world. The moment Eima was within punching range she lashed out, her fists sprung out, cleaving the air with its velocity. Asterisk deflected the blows effortlessly with a wicked sneer. No matter how much effort or speed Eima forced in her fists Asterisk was swatting her attacks away as though they were nothing but common houseflies.

The enraged girl added in hooks, uppercuts and pseudo-movements to her attacks, yet Asterisk anticipated them with the same sneer glued to her face. Eima eventually overstretched one her punched Asterisk twisted her arm behind her back and sent her flying towards the barroom with herculean punt. The group watched terror as the girl soared through the air and clattered to ground.

Asterisk held out her arms. ''C'mon, Little Miss Mountain. _Make. My. Day._ ''

Eima's expression darkened, she stood upright and grabbed the closest thing she could find. A steak knive. She lobbed it at the woman, Rui gasped as she noted the knife's trajectory. Between the eyes.

 _'Is she trying to kill her?!'_

As the knife cut through the air and approached Asterisk's forehead, she vanished. Gone. The impact had rooted the knive in the board. The half-nude youth's eyes were as wide as saucers, the knife had clipped him by an inch.

By now Takashi was already ducked behind his seat, inaudible noise came from his lips and he was as white as an sheet. Lysen managed to recover somewhat and was already charging after something. Loren and Hope were frozen in their seats an hadn't blinked since the whole scene even started. Amaya remained neutral in expression, but sweat was glistening off of her skin. Rui was flabbergasted? Shocked? It just went too fast for her, how was she supposed to react? What is she even supposed to do? Her mind blurred and her thoughts became warped under the sheer weight of it all.

But Aitarou.. Why is he so calm?

When she blinked Asterisk had already thrown off her drab-colored cloak exposing her toned physique, skin-tight grayish combat suit and ashen short hair. She had Eima pinned beneath her foot and had her slender blade pressed to her heart. From the distance Rui couldn't see her face, but for some reason she really felt like she didn't want to see it anyway.

Lysen was about ready to tackle Asterisk off of Eima, but a single swipe from Asterisk's blade stopped the giant in his tracks.

Her blade was still pointed at Lysen as she spoke. ''I don't feel like doing this. Really I don't, so Little Miss Mountain. Listen, because I'm going to give you one choice.''

Eima didn't grace her with any words.

''Bury the grudge. Or.. _Listen closely now_ , because this is the important part.'' She leaned forwards her hair brushed against Eima's face. ''I'll bury you.''

Rui didn't know whether Eima was either the largest fool on the face of the earth or the bravest person on it.

Because she hocked and spat on Asterisk.

Then everything went down too soon to track at once. Asterisk raising her blade, the screaming of Takashi who was thrashing away in a frenzy, Loren who finally broke from his stupor and was scrambling to move; Hope, who was glued to his seat unable to look away, Aitarou who looked just as uninterested as he did before and Amaya who already closed her eyes and seemed to have accepted the worst the worst possible outcome.

Rui had no idea that the one that would stop her would be the half-naked guy.

He held a firm grip on her sword arm. ''Ti- Aster. That's enough, just stop. Okay.''

Asterisk shifted her eyes between him and Eima multiple times before she kicked the girl in the face. A tooth careened straight onto Amaya's face eliciting a yelp from her in response. Eima remained motionlessly still on the floor. Rui's thoughts worsened until she noted the rise and fall of Eima's chest.

She's still breathing.

''What.. What even..'' Hope stuttered. ''How?''

Loren and Lysen glared at Asterisk as she strode past them and picked up her discarded cloak, once she donned it she stood just as emotionless as she did before Eima's outburst.

''As I was saying. We were measuring all of your potential. And since the nine of you made it in here alive, you are by now official rookie members.'' Asterisk's lips tighten. ''I would congratulate you for the fact you're one of the largest groups to make it this far in one piece, if I weren't in a foul mood.''

No person made a single gesture or sound to that.

Asterisk sighed. ''As such, some introductions are in order. I am Tina Aster, I go by Asterisk _at all times_ and I stand as second-in-command at the Black Dessert Reserve Force.''

The woman twisted her head to her companion. ''This is Stupid Newt, A.K.A Hinata. He'll guide you to Azanaar from here on out.''

Hinata flicked his wrist awkwardly. ''Hi.. Uh.. It's a pleasure. I've been robbed from head to toe on my way here. That's the reason behind..'' Hinata not-so-proudly pointed at his briefs. ''..The whole get-up.''

Hope gazed at the unconscious Eima before whirling his head back to Asterisk. ''So What about Eima..''

Asterisk rolled her eyes. ''What _about_ her?''

Lysen rocked back and forth as he sat on his chair, pressing his hands on.. well.. ''You're not seriously considering leaving her there, are you?''

Hinata folded his arms and gazed before Asterisk could even retort. ''She isn't and she won't.''

''Back to what I was saying. From here on out, the nine of you will receive this.'' Asterisk stepped to the side, unveiling a platter with a number of pouches piled atop of it.

''Inside these pouches cointain twenty silvers and a bronze dogtag. Unlike Stupid Newt, you shouldn't let these things get stolen. Without money, you can kiss your behind goodbye and the dogtags are entry passes to Azanaar.'' Asterisk tapped her foot. ''Go on.. Grab a darned pouch.''

Hinata's cheeks went rosy. ''Actually I never lost my tag-''

''Cram it. Newt.''

Rui felt apprehensive and a single glance to the rest confirmed that she definitely wasn't the only one to feel that way. In order to survive, she needs this.. So why does this feel so hard to do for her?

Aitarou was the first to receive his pouch, true to Asterisks word there were twenty engraved silver coins and a bronze dogtag with a leather strap. Aitarou bound his dogtag to his wrist before taking his seat, yawning while he did.

Loren followed, then Lysen, Hope, Amaya, Rui and finally Takashi collected their own pouches. One more fidgety than the other, but after a while Rui was examining her own dogtag with all the enthusiasm of a child. The dogtag depicted a lone, dead tree near a mountain with a hole at it's center, a desert and the moon hanging just above both of them.

Rui tightened her fist before inhaling deeply. ''Asterisk, how.. How is Ushio? Is he okay?''

The woman arched a brow. ''Oh that whippersnapper. He's out of danger but.. He's pretty out of it. He had a pretty serious concussion and mayhaps even brain damage, I guess he'll be sleeping days, weeks, perhaps even months or years. I don't know, I ain't an Oracle nor a Priest. I'm honestly surprised he's still breathing despite my poor medical disposition.''

Rui winced and her she turned her eyes away. ''Oh..''

Asterisk rubbed her hair, was that sympathy in her eyes? ''I'll stay here for the time being to watch over him and Little Miss Mountain until Stupid Newt comes back with a priest and some _goddamn clothes_.''

Hinata was positively fuming. ''Aster. I get, I messed up. I didn't know that Drannar Fang was in cohorts with the Fey. For Ladon's sake, I'm lucky that I managed to escape that shitstorm unscathed, my armor just wasn't worth my life.''

''Your life isn't worth crap. Some shitty Samurai you're supposed to be.''

''Shut up! I get it, ye're crapped that mission went bonkers, but that ain't my fault. Can't send a Samurai to do an Assassin's job. Our leader is such a shithead when he needs to be. I mean where is Spaelorr? Is he ever here at all, this was his mission?''

''I don't wanna hear your whining, take the rookies with you and leave. I'm done seeing all your ugly mugs for today.''

''Fine!'' Hinata turned to the group with a twitching eyebrow Hinata turned to the group.

''Grab yer belongings, toys, plushies, clothes, self pleasuring devices. I don't give a flying wallop, we're leaving for Azanaar now!''

''Whoa hold up, naked guy. No need to to shout we can hear you just fine.'' Hope snarled as he got up from his chair.

Rui spied Hinata whirling around in order to grab a sheathed, curved blade behind and vanished up the spiral stairs. Rui was simply in awe how this two people were vanishing in front of her eyes not once but twice now. Did she end up end in some dimension where humans are all powerful or something?

Loren sighed. ''Sometimes, I wonder if we're stuck in an RPG and all our stats suck monkey nuts.''

''What's an RPG?'' Lysen came out as an pained groan as held on to his.. Well.. Sensitive spot.

Loren's face went completely dead for a moment. ''Huh? Come again?''

Amaya's brow rose. ''You're talking about an 'RPG', well what is that?''

''You tell me, what _is_ a RPG?''

''Loren, stop kidding around. You were just talking about it.'' Rui said with a tilted head.

''I.. I..'' He looked so confused. ''I'm gonna go on ahead.''

Loren dashed up the stairs in a hurry. Asterisk watched on, before trudging up the stairs herself with Eima slung over her shoulder.

She stopped just before she went out of vision. ''If you manage to get your stuff sorted with Guilds. Come back here I have a task for you all then.''

''Wait! What are..'' Rui cut off mid-sentence as Asterisk dissipated into the ceiling.

''Hey Takashi?'' Lysen shook the boy. ''You doing okay?''

Takashi wordlessly picked Lysen's hand off of his shoulder and scaled the stair. His arms were wrapped tightly around his body, and he seemed to whisper something fervently. It was left imperceptible to everyone what he said. But he was shaking non-stop. Everything was really crashing down for him..

Amaya's eyes were as wide as saucers as she faced Rui. ''What the hell is going on..''

Rui ascended the staircase, deliberately avoiding her eyes. ''Something I cannot joke about, no matter how hard I try.''

* * *

''Ye people really don't have a goddamn clue what's going on, do ye?'' Hinata expressed with a long sigh.

The party was trudging the seething desert step by step. The whitish sun beamed down on all of them and the wind swept sand in their faces relentlessly, Rui was partially glad that Asterisk had collected all of their cloaks beforehand. Because if she was still wearing that stuffy thing she would be dead now. It was an opinion that was shared by everyone, even Hinata was sweating buckets despite being in his undies.

The way his sweat traced the outline of his crotch and butt. It was outright disgusting, It was the main reason why she let Loren take her original position. Now she was comfortably sandwiched between Amaya and Lysen. Aitarou, Hope and Takashi took the rear, the latter still seemed distraught.

''Nope, care to explain anything?'' Aitarou half-shouted.

''Nah.. Too much effort. You can find most stuff out by yerselves. I recommend The Drinkhole as the first place of yer investigation.'' Hinata expressed with a laugh.

''The Drinkhole? Really, like _really_?'' Lysen grumbled, never before did walking seem so difficult for him, poor him.

''What? I didn't name the place. Blame our magnificent Rex Montes of the past for being so damn creative with name.'' Hinata shrugged as he pulled one of his feet out of the black sand.

''Rex Monte?'' Loren asked.

''Our benevolent Mountain King of Azanaar, ruling of it for over ten.. Ugh.. Eleven generations now.''

Amaya was penning away everything that has been said in her hardcover notebook with matching purple-blue feather quill since the journey began. Her attention flicked constantly between paying attention and writing. Rui was mildly impressed with how she was able to do that during the blasted heat. Wait.. Where did she even get that notebook?

''What are you writing?'' Rui asked with pursed lipps.

Amaya's eyes squinted. ''Everything. What Hinata is saying, you, Loren, Lysen. Everyone.''

''But why?''

''Someone has to document this. Our experiences, the plethora of knowledge passing by us by the second. We can't be ignorant to this flow of important information. It could mean the difference someday..'' Amaya wrote down ' _Day 2_ ' at the head of the page.

''Say Hinata, what does the word Azanaar even mean?'' Amaya yelled.

Rui's eyes marveled as the sand in the air began to clear and revealed a enormous mountain in distance. A large circular hole was carved out of it, revealing hundreds, maybe thousands of smaller buildings, all housed within that same mountain several miles ahead. It was breathtaking for her, a single glance at her companions beside her unveiled their utter awe as well.

Hinata smiled as he rose his head and faced the mountain. ''It means.. _The breach in the mountain_.''

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

 **Holy shit! It's over! It's finally over.. (And it's 13k+ in total words.. Oops.)**

 **I went over the events of these chapters so many times now, cut off excess scenes and character development that doesn't work with the chapter in general and so on. I utterly regretted that decision and rewrote them back and forth and almost reached writer's block because of it. Well, a lot went on this chapter after all, and I really didn't want to cut corners on everything. Maybe I shouldn't be so bigoted perfectionist..**

 **Eh.. Old Habits die hard.**

 **So special credits to IcyAxolotl for creating Hinata, the first supportive character of the story, he's really fun to write and he has a lot more whacky hijinks in store in the future. Thanks man, Hinata saved my lots of headaches with his fun personality.**

 **That said, I know we haven't really went in-depth with the OC's yet, but Who is your favorite at this point? Is it Ushio, the Considerate and Selfless Bloke? Rui, the Prankster? Lysen, the Anti-Joker? Please tell me in the comments below. Was this chapter even enjoyable? Only you can tell, I'm a awful critic to myself to be quite frank.  
**

 **A cookie for the person who can guess who will be the main character for next chapter.**

 **Next up in Level 3, Cruisin' through Mountain City Azanaar baby!**


	4. A Brave New World (Amaya)

_[Level 3 - A Brave New World]_

* * *

 **Day - 2  
**

 _ **Amaya**  
_

* * *

''So could you explain the fact that we didn't run into any monsters at all? Like the entire desert was devoid of life, I figured since we're part of a monster extermination army, monsters would be.. You know, _roaming everywhere_.'' Amaya twirled her quill and juggled her notebook as she strode inside the mountain's cavern.

It had been several minutes since the party finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. While the silver mountain was rather small looking when she saw it for the first time, it was certainly a gargantuan sized rock that was more than capable enough to house an entire city. However, why was this mountain in the middle of a desert. Shouldn't the stone have been worn down to nothing by now? Why was the mountain able to stay standing despite the wind and sandstorms?

Questions like these are what drove Amaya to the brink of insanity. Everything is an unknown, nothing is to be trusted. These thoughts swam in her mind as the questions kept piling. What is Black Desert? Why does humankind resent these 'monsters' so much? What is Azanaar like? Why did Hinata refer to his ruler with such disdain before? Who is Hinata? Who are the people she is with? Why were they secretive about Ushio? Why was Eima so intense before? And why did they all lose their memories?

But, most importantly _, who was Amaya Isuke, before all this?_

Hinata was about to pull out his hair. ''Could ye shut up for a damn second?! I thought I was a blabbermouth, but ye just keep asking and asking and _ASKING_!''

''Answer the questions then!'' Amaya snarled, her eyebrow twitched.

Hinata stopped dead in his tracks before ruffling his hair. ''Fine! But after that, no more questions, okay?''

Amaya crossed her arms, her eyes defiant. ''Depends on the answer.''

Hinata sighed. ''The reason ye never saw any monsters in the desert is.. because of the _war_ , it drove the resident monsters away in fear.''

Loren's interest piqued and he whirled to face Hinata. ''War? What war?''

''The _Human-Fey War_.''

Rui scratched her scalp. ''You've mentioned these Fey before.. What are they?''

''They're-''

The sound of scratching echoed through the cavern, silencing Hinata and startling the group. Loren, Lysen and Hinata instantaneously sprung forward to take point. For the first time since the entire trip Hinata unsheathed his curved blade. It glowered as the light from the torches reflected off of the blade, the glow reminded her of a hazel-colored light-show. Somehow, the curve of the blade seemed unnatural to Amaya, as if it was.. _Reversed_.

Hope, Rui, Aitarou and Amaya stood behind the three flanking the holes that their make-shift formation left behind. Takashi was left to cower, he whispered that he had enough, that he was done with all this and that he just wanted all this tension to end.

They had to ignore him as an arrow whizzed by and nearly caught Amaya by the ear, first Eima's tooth and now this. Why do projectiles dislike her this much? Three more arrows fly out, but Hinata dashed forward and swatted the arrows out of the air. He presented the group a large grin as he slung his blade over his naked shoulder.

''See that, rookies! That's a Samurai roll-''

An arrow whisked by his head, and headed straight Rui's eye. The girl had barely the time to blink before Loren managed to catch the arrow by its tail. His eyes widened as he drew the arrow he caught back towards himself, his eyes reflected his own stupor. Amaya saw how Rui mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. That was bit too close of a call for Amaya's comfort.

Hinata's demeanor went straight from happy-go-lucky to deadpan. He rushed through the cavern slugged arrow away with both his scabbard and blade. Sparks emitted from the friction of the projectiles and Hinata's blade, till he disappeared from eyesight and deeper in the cavern's bowels.

''Stop shooting! I'm a frickin' friendly here!'' Hinata yelled before the dark swallowed him whole.

Amaya's body was so tensed that the muscles in her jaw ached. She felt like wasn't the only one, everyone seemed in someway either perplexed or afraid, except for Takashi since he was positively _terrified_.

''What are we standing here for? Get your butts in gear, we can't leave Nude Newt by himself,'' Aitarou ushered, before he sprinted after Hinata.

''Aita! Wait, It's not saf- Shite!'' Loren's face scrunched before he chased after him.

''Ah crapbaskets! Why don't you people think your actions through!'' Hope complained before he too left.

''Let's go. Last thing we need to do is split and lose another in this cave,'' Lysen said.

Rui blinked before returning a determined nod to Lysen and heading off with him.

Amaya was about to follow, but the cowering Takashi caught her attention. Her sympathy went out to him, but now is not the time to cower and hide. Takashi had to face that either now or never that this world wasn't to be trifled with.

''Takashi!''

The boy stopped whimpering as Amaya stomped towards him.

She grabbed him by the wrist. ''C'mon move! Or I'll leave you to rot in this cave.''

''I- I- I don't want to.. I can't.. I- I can't!''

''Takashi, listen! If you stay here no one would know anything if something happened to you, do you want that?!.''

''N- No..''

Amaya crouched down to get on his eye level. ''Get up, the rest need our help. I hate to say it, but we can't separate. We need to stick together to survive, at least for now..''

''S- Survive? Like.. Killing in order to live?''

Amaya pulled the boy to his feet and pulled him deeper into the depths of the cave.

''I hope it never truly has to come to that.. And if it does, I'm _not_ gonna die.''

* * *

''Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! What the fuck is that!''

Amaya knew that Aitarou wasn't just being coy, he really had a legitimate reason to freak out. As he, the rest and Amaya stood face-to-face with human-sized black and gray feathered eagle. Its eyes were large and golden, the talons were sharpened and primed for combat, its curved beak was honed to a perfect edge and all of its killing intent was focused on them. The beast must be able to separate humans by their level of threat, because its eyes never left Hinata's hazel blade.

The beast then cocked its head slightly..

''Hinata?'' A young deep-sounding voice questioned, was that bird seriously speaking?

''Yeah, could you call off your feathery pal. I want don't me, or the rookies to get pecked to death.''

''Well, I'll be damned. It is you,'' A young man stepped from the bird's shadow.

Amaya sighed, before she laughed awkwardly. ''Of course.. A talking bird, that's preposterous. As if this situation wasn't crazy enough as it is.''

Hope eyed her incredulously before he remembered where he was supposed to keep his eyes on. Amaya squeezed Takashi's wrist unintentionally as her eyes beheld the features of the shadowy figure.

 _'Pink?'_

The young man's hair was completely pink. That couldn't be natural, could it? Amaya just couldn't wrap her head around glimmering, pinkish, neck-length, hair-do. His eyes were pale in comparison, as if all the blue in his eyes had been sucked out due to whatever must happened in the man's life. His skin was bronze in color, similar to Loren's tint actually. Perhaps these two share something in common, or perhaps she's was just stereotyping? His height was similar to Hope's, which was not nearly as monstrous as Lysen's tallness.

His outfit was certainly.. _Metallic_.

Steel gauntlets, armored boots and black and hardened leather hugged his body. A visor-less helm decorated with curved draconic horns sat on his skull while another black mask covered his nose and below. A quiver was slung over his back, a dagger strapped to his boot, shortswords fastened to his lower back and satchel bound to his hip. He looked as if he was ready to fight a war, and considering what Hinata told her just moments ago. It scared her..

Especially since _he shot at them_.

 _'Wait a minute, if he shot at them.. Then, where is his bo-'_

Before she could even finish that thought, she heard the sound of steel being unsheathed. Her head turned to Hinata who was forced to lock blades with pink hair, Hinata looked worse for wear. The entire trip must've took quite a lot out of him.

''Get back!'' Hinata shouted.

It was already too late. Not even seconds after Hinata said that the bird charged straight past him and tried to burry its beak into Lysen's scarred face. Rui was quick enough to push themselves both out of harm's way. But the bird set it sights on Amaya and Takashi now, the moment Takashi's eyes locked into the birds he flailed from Amaya's grip and screamed in horror, incidentally forcing her to the ground.

''Damnit! Ken! it's me, Hinata! Stop this!'' Hinata pushed all his weight forward to stay out to keep the shortsword from slicing into his skin.

Pink hair disengaged in order to unsheathe his second blade. ''Oh really, now! Hinata's been M.I.A for seven weeks, but you would know all about that don't you, Drannar scum!''

''Drannar?! Ken, I'm alive dammit! I'm not a shape-shifting wench, I'm the original!''

''Tch! I'm not taking my chances. Hinata is dead. You and your lackeys' lives end here.''

''Lackeys?!'' Rui blurted.

Aitarou's eyebrow rose. ''That's what you're worried about?''

Hinata rolled his eyes. ''Mama Mia.. La vostra Stupidità non ha limiti!''

Pink hair threw one of his blades over his shoulder. ''What?''

''Ye're a _fucking_ idiot!''

Hinata whirled and sliced his blade in the direction of the stampeding bird. The blade flickered before a powerful gust sprung from its edge, it blew Rui, Lysen, Loren and Aitarou collectively off their feet. The wind smashed into the bird causing it to lose its balance and lurch forward till it crashed into the hard cobblestone just between Amaya's quivering legs. She let out a shriek as the situation began settled in her mind.

''You think that a faker can use my katana? Think again?'' Hinata snarled, he flourished his blade. ''Stand down, or I'll cut ye down myself.''

By now Lysen and Loren had the bird pinned to the ground by pressing their collective weight on its neck. Aitarou circled around and pressed down its beak with all his might as well. Leaving Amaya, Takashi, Rui and Hope very relieved.

They have _won_..

''How do you like them apples, huh?'' Aitarou sneered at the pink hair.

The young man's eyebrows went crooked. ''Fine! You win, for now. Don't even think I believe a word of what you say though.''

Hinata glared with the intensity of the sun. ''I never expected you to do so. I should have you killed on this spot, but I won't.''

He sheathed his sword. ''Get out of my sight. As you can see I have bigger issues to attend than yer ever shrinking faith in other human beings.''

Pink hair reciprocated Hinata's action, before he strode past him towards his bird. ''Nice clothes, Newt.''

''Get in line, there are five people who did that both funnier and better.''

Pink hair impatiently tapped his foot as he glared at Lysen, Aitarou and Loren, the bird shook underneath their weight. ''May I politely ask you to get off my _fucking_ bird!''

Aitarou smirked. ''May I politely ask you to _piss off!_ ''

Pink hair sighed before he turned around making eye contact with everyone in the vicinity. A chill went up Amaya's spine when his cold blue eyes locked into hers, his eyes conveyed the message that they all better 'take a good look'. He shot out his hand, gripped Aitarou at his the throat and slammed him against the cobblestone. For an instant Amaya expected the man to choke the life out of him for embarrassing him so publicly, but he backed off and motioned at Lysen and Loren to get off.

They gazed at each other before they both reluctantly decide to appease his demands. The now free bird nestled it's head against the pink hair's body affectionately and he brushed its feathers in return. He said nothing as he walked past all of them toward the exit of the cavern. Only after he was finally out of vision did the tension in Amaya's body gradually dissipate.

Hope preened his hair. ''That went smooth.''

Rui puffed her cheeks. ''I disagree. I really should've shouted _duck_ or something when the bird came running..''

''Buzz off, Rui!'' Lysen half-shouted, throwing his arms up for the extra emphasis.

''Hey Lysen! _Toucan_ play that kind of game,'' Rui was already snickering.

Never before did Amaya saw forehead vein so thick, the slightest touch might make it burst. But despite the fact Rui's pun so god awful, it did make her laugh. And so did Takashi, who finally seemed to have relaxed a bit. The small smile on his face was comforting enough that Amaya felt that she didn't need to babysit him anymore for today. Besides, Takashi looked much better that way.

''Great.. Much funny. Real happy.'' Aitarou grumbled as he dusted off the dirt of his clothes. ''What the shit, Nude Newt?!''

Loren's face hardened. ''What was his deal, I thought we were all friendly here? Or was that a lie too, just like that _test_ Asterisk provided us with?''

The happy atmosphere left as soon as it came, and everyone's grim eyes turned to their guide.

Hinata looked at the dirt beneath his feet. ''It's not my place to tell that.''

''We got arrows shot at us, Rui nearly lost her eye and Amaya was nearly bird food. You owe it to us to tell,'' Lysen said with crossed arms.

''The war took a toll on all of us.. Honestly, I can't blame him after what he has been through..''

''What is that even supposed to mean?'' Amaya questioned with clenched fists.

Hinata said nothing, as he paced off deeper in the caverns. Sounds of disapproval resounded to Hinata's behavior, complaints were murmured around them. Loren grabbed everyone's attention by clapping his hands, his serious face was accentuated by the way the torches lit and subsequently shadowed his face.

''I think we need to cut our losses and run from this place.''

His statement was met immediate disapproval of Rui. ''That's insane and you know it, please _sparrow_ us from your _fowlish_ plans.''

Loren's brows thicken. ''And why is it?! They, Asterisk, Hinata and Spaelorr are deliberately withholding valuable information. I can't trust people like that, can you Rui?''

He gazed at the others with squinted eyes. ''How can any of you trust these people, they don't give a damn whether we live or die!?''

''B- But..'' Takashi stammered. ''H- Hinata saved us. He could've just l- left us to d- d- die, but he didn't. H- He even saved E- E- Eima. Besides.. H- He's nice too..''

Aitarou shrugged his shoulders. ''But that could easily be a ploy to get us to trust them right? What if, you know?''

Hope combed a hand through as he scowled. ''And what could they do to us, Loren? Just entertain me with your thoughts here, because you sound like a raving lunatic.''

Rui's eyes shone. ''Don't you mean _raven_ lunatic?''

''Shut up, Rui! It stopped being funny seven-hundred years ago.'' Amaya pinched the bridge of her nose.

''Oh..'' She sounded really hurt.

''Look! I explored the compound on my own when all of you were being cozy with Asterisk. And I found a hidden passage way in one of the lookouts.''

''So?'' Lysen rolled his eyes.

Loren groaned. ''I'm getting there, Lysen. If you just be patient, you'll hear my point.''

''What I saw was locked door and I peered through the keyhole, and saw the most creepiest room ever. the most creepiest tools and a living person strapped to the only chair in the room. They stared at me and whispered something and I freaked out and got out of there.''

Amaya spat on the floor. ''You know, I was entertaining you by listening to your nonsense. But this takes the cake, you sound completely bonkers.''

Hope gave her nod. ''You and me both, this is literally horse shit.''

''You were in that corridor yourself, Hope! Don't you think it was even the slightest bit off!?''

Hope's eyelids lowered. ''You know what I think, I think you're stressed out. Go home, Loren. You're drunk on oxygen..'' He walked away following where Hinata went.

''I think that's where they hold Ashna! Please just think about it!'' Loren pleaded, tears seemed to be welling up in his eyes.

''I'm sorry, I can't put my faith into that, Loren. Take a break once we arrive at Azanaar, you need it.'' Lysen said before he trudged off.

''Rui, please. This could save Ushio and Ashna, believe me..''

Rui gave no answer, she still looked hurt. But she followed Lysen. Aitarou seemed to have resigned as well and went after the rest. Loren gazed Amaya and Takashi before he left himself, his eyes never went higher than the dirt on the ground.

''P- Poor Loren.'' Takashi confessed to Amaya.

''It's his own fault, he should double checked his theory before he went on tried to convince us to travel the desert with no supplies or directions.''

''S- Still.. No one deserves that. M- M- Maybe we shouldn't have been so h- harsh.'' He fidgeted as he gazed at his fingers.

Amaya began walking. ''Let's go. I'm done with this cavern, I wanna have a nice, hot bath after all this rubbish.''

Takashi nodded as he followed. ''S- Seeing Azanaar would be nice. I- I wanna see where we'll live from now on.''

She stopped as something prodded beneath her feet. She bent down and picked up the object beneath her sneakers. It was a necklace with a dogtag fashioned from transparent crystal, it displayed the same things that were engraved in her bronze dogtag. When she turned it around, she saw the one thing that separated her dogtag from this one.

A name.

 _Kensei_. Was engraved in the dogtag with fluid strokes with the backbone of the letter _K_ was shaped like a sword. Amaya presumed that Kensei was the pink hair, and that this was his dogtag, his pass back to Azanaar. It must've dropped from his satchel or something. The dark desire to simply throw this tag in the closest ravine she could find was unbearably strong, but Amaya sighed as she bound the dogtag to her notebook.

Amaya does not look forward to meeting Kensei in the future.

Wh _y_ was she _always_ caught in these situations?

* * *

''Oh! My! Gosh! Thisthebestthingever!''

Rui peeped - or rather _squealed._ As she swam through the air; she made dexterous moves, which would impress Amaya if she were anymore of a simple-minded buffoon. She had to somewhat agree though, never in her wildest dreams did she imagined to enter Azanaar by air. _How queer_..

Lysen grumbled as he slid a hand the scar on his face. ''Look, Rui.. We've kinda already arrived and all.''

''Yeah, yeah. You people are no fun..'' Rui said, as she disembarked from the blue light that allowed her to levitate in the first place.

Hinata laughed. ''Don't sweat it, kid. I really enjoyed my first ride on the lifters too.'' He leaned in and covered his face in attempt to lessen the sound. ''The ride down is even more fun..''

Rui's eyes sparkled as she rejoined the others. She veered towards Takashi who was less enthusiastic and slapped his back, he was one shade away from turning completely green. Then again Amaya even got nauseous when she recalled how he literally spun out of control back then. Guess that keeping your balance in midair isn't a natural skill bestowed to everyone.

''N- Never.. A- Again..''

''Ah, ye big baby. Ye'll get used to it.'' Hinata said with a grin.

Hinata then trudged forwards and opened the gate that barred them from the outside world. Sunlight cuts into Amaya's pupils, she squinted. Birds chirped and buzzing sounds of the city landscape flowed into her ears. Stepping outside, she saw that she was inside a tower fashioned from the same rock that founded the mountain. A bridge was laid out in front her and small shack with people patrolling nearby, a small lake indicated that bridge wasn't merely for show. Past that she saw the buildings that collectively made the heart of Azanaar.

Cobblestone streets, white cubic shaped homes ranging from sizes and shapes Amaya had never seen before. Ivory windmills were at either sides of the mountain's breach, and ubiquitous blue domes made up most the roofs of the homes, flat roofs were in the minority. Everything seemed to glimmer in the afternoon sun adding only more to its rural charm. Eight towers similar to the one behind her supported the roof the mountain, with a single one that was shaped like a spiral in center of the city.

There were other notable building that caught her attention as well due to their height or aesthetic compared to the ordinary ones, Amaya assumed that that's where more privileged members of Azanaar lived. The ordinary buildings resembled more like sugar cubes, she usually wasn't too big on stuff like that. The thought of sweets made her sick.

Yet, she couldn't keep her mouth from dropping.

''It's beautiful..'' She whispered.

''That, ladies and gentlemen is gonna be yer home. Home, meet the rookies. Rookies, meet home.'' Hinata joked with pseudo deep voice.

''H- Hello home..'' Hope stuttered, if his mouth was anymore ajar he would attract flies.

Lysen face palmed. ''Don't _literally_ greet a city..''

''You know.. I never expected this.'' Aitarou said with wide eyes.

Loren gulped. ''You and me both man.''

Rui took a deep whiff of the air. ''Ahhhh... The smell of a brave new world.''

Hope gazed at the girl with skepticism. ''I'm curious.. What does a _brave new world_ smell like?''

''Like cinnamon and salt.'' Rui stuck out her tongue.

''I've _literally_ lost all hope for your sanity.'' Hope confessed as he shook his head.

Hinata faced the city landscape. ''Actually, it's surprisingly profound. If ye think it through, that is.''

The expression on Hope's face could clearly indicate that whatever point Hinata is trying to make, the meaning of it was _completely_ lost on him. He then turned to the group with subtle smile. ''This is where we all part ways. I need get something to wear, like really soon. And ye lot need to get acquainted with yer new home.''

''Will we ever see you again?'' Rui frown was nearly heartfelt, _nearly_.

''Of course! Hit me up at the Drinkhole after ye all got succeeded into getting yer trade names and all.''

Rui's eyes cast downward. ''But, But, But.. I thought you were gonna tour us around.''

''Nah.. Too much effort.''

Amaya sharpened her gaze. ''I don't know whether I find that attitude endearing or _positively horrid_.''

''Do both, most people do that anyway.'' Hinata gave a sloppy wink. ''Besides ye'all can totally find yer way around. There was an inn somewhere around that might be cheap enough for the entirety of yer posse.''

Amaya rose a brow. ''Well? Where is it?''

''Haha, these lips are sealed.'' Hinata shushed.

Amaya's face went crooked. ''Don't shush me!''

His face shifted back to his unsettling deadpan. ''Going. Now.''

''Bu-''

Hinata leapt down the colossal flight of stairs that led from the bridge to the tower. The people by the shack clamored as Hinata ran past them some of them even tried to chase him down, but it seemed like those people were rather ordinary like Amaya herself. So they had no snowball chance in hell that they could even prolong the chase. It begged the question, why are these Reserve Soldier so.. _Able_?

''-I needed to give you something.'' Amaya finished, she clutched onto the crystal tag in her hand.

Loren seated himself on one of the many steps, a glum expression on his face. ''I like how positive things are looking, I do. But I think I would enjoy it more if everyone was here.''

No one said a word. Amaya could sense that the happy atmosphere was slowly descending to a grimmer one, there were still so many questions. She had no clue if she ever would learn the answers behind them. The mountain city shone in the distance, a whole new world lies just in front of her, in front of all of them. The answers Amaya sought, the answers Amaya needed, May be there.

This wasn't going to be easy, this wasn't a dream. This is reality, and depending on whether she'd accept it or not she would live or die.

But Amaya Isuke agreed with Hinata on at least one point.

 _They can find their way._

* * *

Amaya Isuke also agreed on something else.

To never, _ever_ let Rui Hitsuga lead all them in an unknown area, because..

 _They've lost their way._

''I- I- I think we're lost.'' Takashi whimpered.

Rui put her hands on the back of her head. ''Nah.. We're nearly there, I can feel it in my bones.''

''You've said that past **_FOUR_** times!'' Lysen was almost literally steaming.

Rui's eyes glinted. ''Really now? That's quite _humerus_ , ain't it?''

Lysen was silently screaming. If the ordinary city folk weren't practically stabbing them all with their glares, Amaya was certain that they would now due to Lysen's outlandish behavior. Perhaps it was their clothing that stood out, most commoners wore ragged linen shirts and pants, which were indistinguishable from the color of human vomit. _Or_.. It could be that they hold some sort of prejudice.

''One of these days you're gonna break him, you know?'' The corner of Loren's lips rose and pulled back.

Amaya had a self-serving smile. ''Oh? Like your broken theories, or something?''

Loren's gaze hardened. ''They might be outlandish sure, but I know what I saw.''

''Oh? I'm sure I know what I know too, and I know you are talking _flack_.''

Loren disengaged his eyes. ''Believe what you will, Amaya.''

''Don't worry, I will,'' Amaya's face creased.

Rui sighed. ''I would joke about the obvious kink tension, if-'' Rui stopped walking and squinted her eyes. ''Hey, could that be the inn?''

Lysen's face seemed stuck between confusion and doubt. ''It- It- It definitely looks.. _Flashy_ , I guess?''

Rui pointed at the dome fashioned from darkened glass, it was one of the buildings that stood out to Amaya due to the smoke wafting from its roof and the contrast it has to the rest of the city's apparent brightness.

''We could at least ask the person inside. It would work ways better than asking the normal citizens,'' Loren tried to push up his non-existent glasses.

Hope's eyelids lowered. ''True, but what if they try to spit at us like that old granny did?''

Amaya was determined. ''We cross that bridge when we get there.''

''Yeah, we gotta keep the _hope_.'' Rui's lips were nearly bursting from holding back laughter.

Hope face palmed. ''Please let me think of you as a decent human being.''

''Ahww.. That's the sweetest compliment ever!'' Rui's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Hope groaned. ''Knowing you, you probably mean it, _partially_.''

It didn't take long for Hope and Rui to stop mouthing each other off soon after they stepped inside the domed building, the lone man who was hammering away on red-hot curved full tang blade. The forge was in the center of the of the space, and in the center of the man's attention since he didn't address anyone with a greeting. The heat that coursed through the room was sickening, Amaya felt that her hood was sticking to her skin. Sparks flew from where the the hammer had struck the blade, they lost light as they collided to the cold floor.

''Excuse us sir, could you point us to the nearest most cheapest inn?'' Lysen asked, he lifted the collar of his shirt to release the building heat.

The man's voice was stoic. ''Western windmill, inside there is the W-inn.''

Lysen's brow creased. ''W-inn?''

Using a tong the man quenched the searing blade in a barrel of liquid, steam rose. ''The name of the place, believe me.. We have we have _unique_ regents.''

The man lifted the goggles he wore over his eyes, revealing the dark circles beneath. He scratched the gray stubble that accumulated on his cheeks and grumbled as he laid the cool blade on his anvil. He turned to the group, his brown eyes widen a tad in surprise before the man recomposes himself by preening the black yukata he wore. A hand went to the black with gray ponytail, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

''You're the rookies, I assume?''

Loren's brows thicken, his posture turned more pronounced. ''What if we are?''

''Then it would mean that my former student isn't as much as a oral garbage dispenser as I might've thought.''

''Ha.. Oral garbage,'' Aitarou repeated with a snort.

Amaya felt to the need to make a small bow, she stifled it. ''Well, thank you for answering our questions. We'll be heading ou-''

''-To be stronger that's what you desire, isn't it?'' The man's lips squeezed into a thin line.

Amaya halted mid-step. ''Excuse me?''

''I can see it in your eyes,'' The man pointed at Amaya and Loren.

He faced Amaya. ''Strong enough to carry yourself free of burdens,'' He then faced Loren. ''Strong enough to protect the peace you desire.''

Amaya's gaze hardened. ''Who are you?''

''I am Kenpachi, the Ronin Guildmaster. Welcome to my guild.'' Kenpachi displayed a lazy grin. ''Both your paths lead to the way of the wanderer, the way I happen to teach.''

Rui blinked. ''Wait.. So you're one of these guilds Asterisk mentioned?''

Kenpachi's brow rose. ''Didn't Tina have the decency to at least explain to you how guilds work?''

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

''Typical.. She always leaves her shit in a half-assed state. When will she ever learn..?''

''You know her?'' Loren asked bemused.

''Sadly, I do.'' Kenpachi groaned. ''From now on you'll be forced to fight for your own survival, wouldn't it be nice to.. _not die_?''

''That would be stellar, yes,'' Hope answered.

He sneered at the boy. ''Well, not for you. You're not Ronin material.''

Hope looked offended. ''And you think the smallest and the most foolhardy people in our group are?''

''Hey!'' Amaya sharply turned to Hope. ''I'm not small.''

Loren frowned. ''Nor am I foolhardy.''

Rui puffed out her left cheek. ''But you a-''

''Cram it, Rui!'' They both blurted out at once.

The girl in question displayed a smile, as if say saying that she doesn't care anymore. It earned a snicker from both Takashi, Hope and Aitarou. That girl always found a way to shrug off anything that was thrown at her. She really needed a wake-up call and face reality.

Kenpachi strode towards the anvil and grabbed the full tang blade where the hilt of the blade should be.

''Watch,'' He said in an almost bored intonation, he rested the blade at his hip.

'' **[ZANTETSUKEN]**!''

The blade outlined the core of the anvil with its tip. Kenpachi flourished the blade and let it rest by his hip. After a second the anvil split in half, each half crashed against the floor, making the dust in the room scatter. Kenpachi sighed as he seemed to grasp the consequences of what he just did.

''Fuck. Now I need to order another one.''

Loren's eyes nearly shone. ''What was that?!''

''That, was [ZANTETSUKEN], one of the many skills bound to the Ronin class. It's a skill that envelops your blade with Qi to allow it to cut through something as dense as steel with a single slice.''

''Incredible,'' Loren's eyes never wavered from the blade Kenpachi held.

''This is what a guild does. It imparts the crucial skills of a class to young fools like yourself so you can survive in and out of combat.''

''So.. What do you want in return? And how does it even work?'' Amaya asked with crossed arms.

Kenpachi paced towards Amaya. ''All I want is twelve silvers for basic course of two weeks, afterwards each individual skill will cost 20 silvers but you'll have all the time to practice it here if you like. Don't worry about food and a place to rest in the meanwhile, they're all incorporated in the price of the basic course.''

He stopped once he stood close enough to look down on Amaya. ''I could tell you how, without you enrolling for a course. But then _I would have to kill you_.''

Lysen flanked the man from his side, his eyes darkened. ''How about.. _No_.''

''Of course, I don't wanna harm a bunch brats. It's just that knowing too much is to die in this world. Just a word of warning, boy,'' Kenpachi smiled as non-nonchalantly as he manage.

A bead of sweat rolled from Amaya's skin as she grabbed her pouch of silvers. ''So when do we start?''

Kenpachi cackled. ''We? No, no, no. You got your information in a bunch, little lady. I only take one student per party, you're gonna have to fight for your right.''

Takashi grimaced. ''F- F- Fight?!''

''Yeah, boy. F- F- Fighting. Smashing each other to bits, rending your foe apart piece by piece, kinda like that,'' Kenpachi mocked.

''Hold up, hold up, hold up.'' Hope said with his arms in front of him. ''Why the hell are you so picky, aren't we doing you a service here?''

''Cause I only want the best of the best of students. It's take it or leave it. Simple.''

Aitarou shrugged. ''You drive a hard bargain, guildmaster.''

'' _Everything_ has its price, boy.''

''Don't worry, we'll definitely leave,'' Lysen added with a glare to Kenpachi.

''I'm not leaving.'' Loren said, his gaze was one of determination.

''What?'' Lysen was dumbfounded.

Amaya let out a soft laugh. ''For a moment, I thought you would chicken out. Like how you did in your _theories_.''

''Do you see me running, Amaya?''

''I guess you aren't.'' Amaya faced Loren. ''Well, do as you must. I won't be going as well.''

Kenpachi scratched his stubble. ''I guess it is settled then.''

The Samurai ran to one of the many doors in his guild and returned with two wooden swords. A smile was painted on his face as the light from the forge illuminated the nasty scar he had on his neck.

''First one to land the killing blow, _wins_.''

* * *

The forge seared with heat. The crackling of burning wood was all that echoed through through the guild. It was unsettling for Amaya to have so many eyes on her, expectant for results. The wooden sword felt uncomfortable in her hands, as the splinters of wood prickled against her skin. Biting on the inside of her cheek she stifled a rush pain that jolted through her hand. She only grasped harder, she wanted to win.

The guildmaster sat cross legged on one half of the anvil, his eyes were trained on the two of them. Rui tugged at her hoodie, her expression was one of both worry and excitement at once. Lysen stood beside her, his arms crossed his eyes downcast. Hope sat on the stone covered floor and let out a yawn. Takashi appeared pale and unwell but whenever Amaya looked at him he looked away, showing a hint of a smile. Aitarou leaned against a pillar, funnily enough this time he seemed more interested unlike before, sometimes Amaya wondered what went through his head.

Her gaze shifted to Loren. He was poised to strike at any moment, the muscles of his hands twitched as Amaya looked in his red eyes. He swallowed and exhaled deeply before his posture and sword arm relaxed.

Kenpachi snapped his fingers. ''Begin.''

Amaya held her wooden weapon behind her. her free hand guarded her face and she waited for her opponent to make the first move.

Loren reciprocated most of her tactics, except where he differed is in his blade stance. He held his sword in front of him, the point centered at Amaya's throat. He stood frozen, like a statue. The only signs of life were the slight rise and fall of his chest.

They stood there waiting..

And waiting..

 _And waiting..._

Kenpachi slashed through the air with his incomplete sword, his face hardened. ''Would be nice if you start fighting today, ladies. _Not next winter_.''

The two hastily nodded. A rush of laughter went through the group especially Rui had a hard time not rolling on the floor. It brightened the mood, a slight smile crept on Loren's lips too.

Loren stepped forward his blade risen over his head. Amaya jerked in response, causing Loren to grin as he sliced at her side instead. The girl yelped as she pivoted her body out of the attack, and promptly crashed to stone floor. Loren instantly launched the tip of his wooden sword at her head.

She managed to roll out of the way, but sound of wood against stone rung in her ears. Amaya kicked Loren's knee and caused him buckle, it gave her more than enough to time to rise just as he did.

''Dirty trick,'' Amaya muttered.

''Well, you're quite sneaky yourself,'' Loren said with no discernible emotion.

Amaya's mouth corners curled. ''I am.''

The girl dashed forward. Loren seemed to react reflexively and thrust his wooden sword straight between her eyes, intending to end her struggle right then and there.

Just as she thought he would.

She dropped her weight forwards and slid on her knees underneath Loren's thrust. Loren's face went flushed with anxiety. This is it, the winning blow. If she can just manage to stab him with her weapon then it's over, and Amaya would take the spoils.

Fortune never was on her side.

Pain shot up from her knees to her head and it overwhelmed her. Her arms spasmed and the wooden sword didn't connect to Loren's abs but smashed his thigh instead. He jumped back and howled as pain coursed through him. Amaya cursed her luck and pushed herself on her feet, intending to end this mock fight with forcing the tip of her weapon in Loren's throat.

The wooden weapons clashed mid-swing. Amaya pushed but with every ounce of strength she expended Loren matched her equally, if not more. Her muscles began to burn, the heat from the forge was clinging to her mind, making her feel lightheaded. She can't keep fighting, she needed to finish this quickly before the heat finished her.

''You're not looking so _hot_ , Amaya.''

Amaya scowled. ''You too? Did Rui infect you with her punning germs as well.''

Loren laughed. ''Nah, just pointing out the obvious.''

'' _Oh dear_ , what I couldn't do without you.'' Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

''You two should totally kiss, would be reeeeeeeal cute!'' Rui shouted, her face seemed near similar to an perverted old man.

Amaya nearly careened into laughter right there, him and her? _Preposterous_. But the fact that Loren was as red as an tomato was almost flattering to her, well.. _Almost_.

Amaya disengaged the sword struggle and took aim at his head. Loren deflected the attack, his face still stuck in a luminescent blush. She returned the same attack from the other side, but Loren parried it. Sweat beaded beneath his chin, signaling Amaya to continue her fast-paced assault. She pushed him back more and more, and even past Kenpachi's makeshit seat by the forge.

And for the first time she came to this world, she found herself having fun.

Amaya swiped at from diagonal angle and Loren's hurried dodge caused him to clash against one of the oil barrels. This is where she had him, he had no more space to run towards and closed in from all sides by either oil barrels or other blacksmithing equipment. If he backed up anymore, he would find himself inside the giant oven.

Loren's face scrunched as the heat crept up from behind. Amaya trusted her weapon aiming for heart, a sure-fire killing blow.

Then, Loren shattered..

 _He shattered all her aspirations to win_.

Loren drew back, his back inches away from the forge. He took the same stance Kenpachi had, reeled his weapon in and unleashed an unseen stroke at her. The top half of Amaya's weapon splintered and she had to guard her face with free hand in order not to receive shrapnel in her eye. The moment she lowered her arm, she found herself staring at the smoking blunt edge of Loren's weapon.

''Unbelievable,'' Kenpachi muttered as he took in what just happened.

Amaya could hardly believe it herself that Loren copied [ZANTETSUKEN] after seeing it once. But she knew that her struggle is now over, with no weapon to defend herself with, she stood at a loss and closed her eyes. Her fight was over.

A hard strike at the top side of her head made her sink the floor, Amaya's world spun. Her head thumped with pain and she struggled to breathe as she stared at the rocks that collectively formed the floor.

Loren dropped his wooden sword. ''I won.''

Kenpachi laughed heartily. ''Congrats, boy. I don't how you did it, but you managed to pull off the must pitiful execution of [ZANTETSUKEN] I've ever seen.''

Loren massaged his sword hand, his face glum. ''It came naturally, as if.. I-''

Kenpachi leapt off of his makeshift seat. ''It doesn't matter, you won and she lost.''

Amaya's teeth grinded against another as she heard the words 'she lost' over and again. Pathetic. Completely and utterly pathetic. This loss was humiliating, not because of what she lost. But how she lost it..

It made her bitter, thinking about the sheer luck he must've had. Because she knew she did better, if not for the [ZANTETSUKEN] she would've won. She should've won.

 _Why didn't she win?_

Kenpachi turned to the group. '''Now, leave my guild. Take this.. Woman with you. I have no words to give to losers.''

Amaya managed to hoist herself to her feet. She glared fiercely at Loren, branding him as fraud and a cheater in her mind. He must've felt her stare's intensity since he never looked her in the eyes. That was even more aggravating to her, was she now too unworthy to even get his attention?

Amaya's hand and head burned as she walked past the group and towards the exit.

Takashi's hand on her shoulder was all that barred her from that exit. ''A- Amaya. You're bleeding.''

Amaya kept her face angled away from the group. ''I don't care.''

''B- But-''

''I DON'T CARE!''

All she felt when she left the Ronin guild was the soft throbbing of her head, the stinging pain in her hand and the bitter taste of loss. Never before did she want to punch someone so badly as she wanted now.

 _And Loren's face was atop of her list.._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

 **And there goes the third level (along with Amaya's patience..).**

 **I'm not gonna lie. Rui is probably my favorite character to write in non-POV simply to finally have an outlet for my massive punning power (see what I did there? Because power is a synonym to electricity.. Yeah? No? I'll stop now).**

 **I don't really have a lot to add this time around, we got world building chapter with a shade of character interactions that set grounds for the group coherency in the future. Let's be frank here (Or am I Gin-Ex-Machina?), at this moment they don't really get along too well, safe for maybe Lysen and Rui. At best the group tolerates another rather than actually wanting to have each other in their vicinity.**

 **Oh, for the record.. When class skills are being used actively the will be bolded like this: [ZANTETSUKEN]  
When the person merely speaks of the skill in explanation it will look like this: **[ZANTETSUKEN]

 **A hundred thousand times thank you to LunarShadow 1906 for creating Kensei. I'm really excited about using him more(and pink hair his is so Yaass), but if I included him now it would only derail precious screen time from the main eight.**

 **So today's question is..**

 **If you wish to see one thing implemented in Azanaar's cit- I mean.. Mountain walls, what would it be? It could be anything, from resources to certain services to whatever you thoughts can cook up.**

 **This story is made for you by you.**

 **The only reason I deserve any form of credit is due to me punching by keyboard a couple million times XD**

 **I wish you the very best of reading pleasure.**

 **(P.S: Really, It's 7,5k+ words.. Man, I digress a lot off 5k word count limit.)**

 **\- Gem**


	5. Pilgrimage Of The Craven (Takashi)

_[Level 4 - Pilgrimage Of The Craven]_

* * *

 **Day - 3**

 _ **Takashi**_

* * *

The morning sun was at its peak when Takashi slogged himself into the steaming water. The boy winced as the hot water scalded his bare skin, after a while his body adapts to the heat and he was able to sink in and submerge himself. His muscles relaxed so much, it almost felt as if he never had any to begin with; like his body was disconnected from his mind and left a wandering spirit to perceive the world. He combed his unruly hair back with his fingertips and stopped, when he felt the rough texture of a scar on his forehead.

 _Another one, huh?_

He fell back into the water. Droplets of moisture hit him in the face and the thought of another scar being added to his collection, was depressing in its own right.

W-Inn's hot spring was considered to be local luxury according to the Innkeeper's assistant, Yura. So, he felt obligated to try it when she showed it to him, in fact Takashi felt obligated to do a lot of things as of late, things that absolutely terrified him to the bone. Committing genocide to living, breathing beings was at the top.

How? Just how would he even do that. Sure, Takashi wanted to live just as much as anyone else. But to kill? To take something so precious as life in cold blood, that is just.. He couldn't find it. He couldn't find the strength in his heart to make that choice. Maybe things would better if he were to die, if he were to die now how many creatures or people would continue living? _Twenty? Forty? A hundred?_

Surely no one would miss him, right?

He just needed to lean forward at the edge of the mountain and it'll be all over. No longer being forced to fight, no more being forced to anything..

 _No happy ending for me.._

Takashi's fist smashed against the water, the droplets flew over his head and wettened the towel he prepared beforehand. His mood slumped even further, he threw his head back and watched the windmill blades as it perpetuated its endless cycle. Eventually, he closed his eyes and focused on the plethora of sounds around him.

The chirping birds, the crackling of the windmill's wings, the sound of the others getting up and dressed, and even the sound of footsteps.

A pleasant floatiness made it feel as if his body was floating in space, instead of drifting in water, ''This.. Is.. Bliss..''

''What is bliss?''

Takashi yelped as he opened his eyes and found a buck naked Aitarou leaning over him. He scrambled toward the other end of the hot spring, trying to cover his most vulnerable places, his groin..

And his wrists..

Aitarou held his hands above head, ''Easy there, partner. No need to get flustered like that.''

A blush colored Takashi's cheeks, ''H- H- H- How can I not! You're n- n- naked!''

''Eh..'' He fanned the air away with a slap. ''It's the body I'm born with. I don't feel shame for it, besides what's wrong with some man-to-man bonding time?''

''I- I need an adult.''

Aitarou laughed, ''Oh, but I am an adult.''

He gestured the steaming water, ''Can I join you?''

''W- W- Would you leave if I said no?''

Aitarou scratched his chin, seemingly lost in thought, ''How about.. _No_.''

Takashi grumbled as he focused on everything beside the person in front of him, he heard Aitarou sink into the water and letting out a relieved sigh, he popped his neck with several fluid motions before his attention focuses back on Takashi.

''So.. how are you, Takashi?''

''I- I'm fine.''

Aitarou narrowed his eyes, ''Are you now?''

Takashi fidgeted with his fingers, the word came slowly, ''Yes..''

''Stop.. Just stop that,'' Aitarou sighed, ''It's fine that you have your own issues. But do not under any circumstance lie in my face, and expect me to buy it.''

Takashi went silent.

Aitarou closed his eyes, ''I'm worried for your state of being. I don't know if anyone mentioned this, or if they bothered to look farther than their own problems.. But you are not well, care to explain?''

''I- I-'' Takashi felt the words clinging to his throat, ''I just can't.. I can't..''

Aitarou curled a finger around one of his blond locks. ''It's okay, you tried. But let me pitch in my two cents on your situation.''

''Ever since you tagged along with me in the maze, I've seen how you tend to _crumble_ in certain situations. Frankly speaking, remember how you lost me? Well, you didn't lose me by accident. I chose to leave you, because I believe that you're a _liability_.''

Takashi was surrounded by steaming hot water, but he still shivered.

He still felt cold.

''I was ready to leave you when you broke in the cavern too, but Amaya suddenly became sentimental and for whatever reason she went and dragged you along with her.''

It wasn't the water that suddenly felt chilling to the bone, it was Aitarou's eyes.

He sharpened his gaze, ''So I'm gonna present you with a deal. You will either leave this group or.. Grow a pair.''

Takashi's lips quivered, ''W- What if I don't—can't.. comply?''

Aitarou smirked, his lips curled like sharpened talons, ''Oh, you'll see.''

''Am I crystal clear?''

Takashi had to nod, he didn't want to but he had to.

''Good boy, I knew we could reach an understanding. Now, don't tell this to anyone. It's imperative that you do so, okay?''

Aitarou glared, ''It would be a shame if something were to happen to you or anyone else, wouldn't it?''

''O- O- Okay.''

Aitarou's smile was full of teeth, ''Have a nice bath time.''

When Aitarou finally left, Takashi felt the heavy thumping of his heart lessen.

In the end, he laughed a broken and hollow laugh.

And for the first time he didn't know whether he was crying, or if the steam started to condensate on his face.

* * *

Amaya's face was red, tensed and rugged. The purple bruise on her face seemed to thump with every breath she took. Her silver eyes were fully glossed in resentment, if her knuckles could turn anymore white, it would shed skin. The man in front of Amaya wore a full mask, black garments and his hair was as black as the darkness itself, only a single hole was cut in the mask to reveal the crimson eye that examined everyone. It unnerved Takashi like nothing else.

Amaya let out a breath, ''Do whatever you wish. It's only the power that I want anyway.''

Hope's eyes widen, his voice trembled, ''Hold up, hold up, hold up! You're not seriously joining this creepy as hell guild, right?''

Amaya turned back to all of them, her face a mixture of doubt and wilfulness. ''Well, it is the strongest guild around. Why wouldn't I?''

Lysen crossed his arms. ''It's in the name, Amaya. They aren't Dark Knights just for show.''

''Yeah, you don't really fit the image, you know.. Like.. You know. You're.. _Nice_..'' Rui muttered with her face turned to the side.

Takashi felt like he needed to say something. Anything in order to push Amaya to not make this decision, He found the courage to look her in the eyes. Amaya looked back. He opened his mouth, his vocal chords trembled..

But no words left his lips.

It was her choice, who was he to deny that from her? The entire day her face had been as cold as stone, the only time some shred of warmth came back to Amaya was when she learned of this guild. How could he deny her a choice like that? Where would his rights lie, if he had any to begin with?

The man clad in dark turned to Aitarou, the youth in questioned regarded him with a bored expression.

''I decline. Thanks for the offer, but _no thanks,_ '' Aitarou said with a venomous undertone.

The man handed something to Amaya, his voice tangled in whispers. According to the shape and way it glinted in the light of the torches it was an black gem. She accepted it and seemed to stare at it intently before she downed the gem straight down her throat.

Maybe it was just Takashi's imagination but..

The colors around her darkened, and voices whispered in his ears _._

* * *

Takashi's world brightened as colored light bounced from a emerald flute in geometrical shapes. Squares, circles, triangles, pentagons and even more leapt off. The flute's light filled the space around Takashi, It was an incredible sight to behold, truly marvelous, truly magnificent.

A miracle in its purest state, exactly what one would call magic, just as the Sage said.

''I'll be holy shizzled,'' Rui muttered in awe.

Takashi's mouth was wide open, ''I- I- Incredible.''

A man with faded golden hair, a pointy hat, a monocle and a milky robe that truly befit his class as a Sage, smiled at everyone present. The jade flute swung around his neck, the cord struggled to hold its weight. His eyes glowed, and his face was marred yet fair, as if the scars brought out more of his features than his skin did. He hobbled forward clutching tightly onto the cane he held. It was painfully difficult for Takashi to not stare at the space where the man's other leg was supposed to be.

 _It must've been a consequence of the war_.

''That, children, is but a tiny iota of what the wisdom of magics could allow you to do,'' The Sage said with a soft smile.

Rui's mouth gaped, ''I never knew that sounds had colors, man.''

Hope was completely flabbergasted to the point that only soft gasps left his lips.

Aitarou scratched his cheek, ''I was skeptical about magic before, but this is.. Only _mildly_ interesting.''

''A- Are you truly able to manipulate the elements?'' Takashi questioned, his eyes never left the jade flute.

The Sage snapped his fingers, causing static electricity to jump from his hand straight into the walls around him.

''Fulgur Lucendi,'' He whispered, his index finger pointed toward towards the ceiling.

A spark of electricity poured from the tip of his finger, searing the air with its might. The stone ceiling absorbed the overabundance of power and spread it all over the walls, sparks flew from it and it even ignited a poor plant that stood at the wrong place, on the wrong time. The sage hurried over and poured his flask of clear fluid over the plant, cursing under his breath before he turned his attention back towards the group.

''Wasn't that incredibly dangerous?'' Lysen asked, a bead of sweat dripped from his chin.

The sage chuckled, ''Danger, my dear giant, is simply one facet of the world. I find wisdom a more important facet, to be frank.''

''Care is a more apt one in my opinion,'' Lysen retorted.

The sage composed himself, ''That was [SPARK], the most basic application of the lightning school of magic.''

Rui rose her hand, waving it quite fervently, ''Oh! Oh! Oh! Is that a class skill too.''

The sage clapped his hands softly, a frown decorated his face, ''Ah! How quaint. Someone who bothers to _only_ remember the important bits.''

''Oh..'' Rui sagged her hand.

It was only now that Takashi became more observant on how the group has been diminishing in its liveliness. Ashna, Ushio, Eima, Loren and even Amaya now have either left to hone their own skills or are stuck in a situation not so-much-of-their-own-choosing, if they are all still in one piece. It made Takashi feel alone, small and unimportant, it seemed that people are just about ready to abandon him at every turn..

 _A_ _nuisance_ , a _pest and a liability_.

These are descriptions that felt so.. fitting. Was he like that before? Or was it that he had always been this way, stagnant and unchanging despite the loss of memory?

His eyes wander to Aitarou accidentally; a shiver descended his spine the moment the two lock eyes. Takashi instantly looked away and didn't look back.

The sage's gaze ambled over the tight-knit group of five, for some reason his smile twitched. He tapped his cane against the floorboard gathering their attention. Hope was the first to break the silence.

''So.. I take it you've made your decision mister sage, sir?''

The sage preened his robe with a sigh, ''Don't call me mister. I'm twenty nine for crying out loud.''

Hope's head tilted, ''But you so look old.''

''Hush, child,'' Takashi could swear he saw a vein bulge on the twenty-nine year old's forehead.

''It's not that I made my decision, but one of you did,'' He lifted his cane and pointed at Takashi, who in turn flinched.

''I- I- I did not. I haven't said a thing.''

''Indeed, my dear boy. You haven't, that's the thing,'' The sage lifted the flute off his neck and placed into Takashi's hands, ''But magic has.''

The flute glowed a pale green, it resonated with Takashi. It felt warm and gentle, the aura was comforting to look at and soothing to a point where he could fall asleep standing. As his fingers tingled with the energies in the flute, the sage smiled and others seemed elated by the event. Except for Aitarou, who's gaze was still glassy, hollow and full with loathing.

Takashi gazed at the flute, ''W- What does this mean?''

The Sage slapped Takashi's shoulder, ''It means that you hold potential. If you accept it, that is.''

Takashi's eyes fell, ''I- I'm sure there is someone better in our group. Someone who could wield this potential power better than I could.''

''Let's find out,'' He hobbled towards the other members of the group, Takashi's eyes followed.

He gave the flute to Lysen first, it spurred little response from the object. Then towards Rui, while it did seem to glimmer a tiny bit, the Sage quickly perceived that the sun was the culprit; needless to say Rui didn't like his reasoning at all. She snatched the flute out of his hands before he could even blink, a small pulsating light left the flute. It then went to Aitarou and after some prodding, he reluctantly placed his hand on the flute, which spurred an ample glow of light, however according to Aitarou himself, it wasn't nearly as impressive Takashi's reaction. When it was Hope's turn to try, the light shone almost as bright as it did with Takashi, almost.

The sage turned back to Takashi, ''The option of choice is all yours, boy.''

''I.. I..''

''You should do it, I'm sure you'll make a fine mage, Takashi,'' Lysen confessed, nodding as he went on.

''Yeah, yeah! You could totally like shoot fireballs and make giant pillars of ice! Oh, that sounds great actually.. Could I be a mage?'' Rui asked.

''No. You can not.'' The Sage said.

''Aw, shucks..''

Hope bit his lower lip, ''While it is incredible. I don't really feel like making the choice right now.. Maybe I'll be back later, I guess.''

''Not interested. It's too.. _Broad_ for me. I'd prefer something more linear,'' Aitarou voiced blankly.

Fidgeting with his fingers Takashi nodded meekly as he received the flute from Hope. When the only people he knew in this world went about their own way to search for their own purposes, Takashi's stomach sank. He felt the hand of the Sage on his shoulder as Takashi's fingers curled around the flute.

''I do hope you're ready.''

Takashi clenched the flute even tighter, ''So do I.''

* * *

 **Day - 4**

* * *

In.

 _Creak!_

His muscles tensed, his chest expanded and his fingers tightened.

Out.

He sagged, his mind relents and his body sank.

In.

 _Creak!_

Hot air rushed inside his nostrils.

 _Who knew that a mountain would get so balmy in the midday sun?_

Out.

Sweat rolled from his scalp.

Takashi's heartbeat hastened, '' **[GATHER MANA]!** ''

Once again.. _Nothing_.

Takashi's lungs once more filled to the brim with air, when he exhaled he felt his heart rate slowing down.

The sage sat on his rocky chair bobbing back and forth, he flipped a page of his book nonchalantly, ''Again.''

Takashi's fist clenched and his jaw ached. ''A- again?! W- We been at this for one and half day!''

''And you still haven't mastered [GATHER MANA]. Excuse you, but I believe that says more about your absolute lack of concentration, than my teaching ethics.''

Takashi squinted as he searched for the best response, he stopped caring the subsequent moment, ''I- If you would stop rocking in that chair than I might get my bearings for once.''

The Sage sighed as he grabbed his cane and stood as tall and proud as a crippled man could be. He tapped Takashi on the shoulder, urging him to rise.

''Let's sit at the balcony, your mind is muddled. Hide it as you may, but I it can see well enough.''

The wise man fought to scale the staircase, while Takashi's gaze fell on the flute that his mentor left beside his chair. A spark of curiosity urged him to take the flute and examine it proper, however Takashi doused his craving in that very moment and followed his tutor.

The balcony was formed crudely. Chipped white rock made edges of terrace, signs of wear revealed the sincere age of the wise man's house; Like the growth rings of evergreen. The boy stepped forward as he gazed at his tutor's back, his face submerged in the blinding noon sun. For a moment, all the worries, all the dread and all the sorrow Takashi felt were washed away.

The Sage did not stir as he gazed into the skyline of Azanaar. ''Do you know of the history of our world, of our home?''

The pupil joined his teacher's side, ''O- Only.. The bits and pieces.''

Takashi couldn't decipher whether his teacher's feature were either solemn or sorrowful.

''Grimgar is a savage world to inhabit. At every corner monsters lie waiting, biding their time for the most opportune moment to kill us all, and if they don't our hubris surely will.''

The sage sighed, ''You came at the worst point in our history,'' A hint of a grin woke on his face, ''The once proud, strong and fearless Reserve Force I was once part of, is rendered nil through the scars of war. Food is becoming more and more scarce, our soon-to-be regent naught but a babe in smallclothes, and even more.''

Takashi grimaced, no words left his lips.

''However. The Flaüt sees your potential it glowers knowing that something of importance rest within you and your companions.''

''W-What is the flute.. Uh.. Flaüt, anyway?'' Takashi asked.

''A fossil of olden times. Times where men held forces of the arcane in their minds, alike to the Fae. You've heard of them right?''

''Uh.. Bits and pieces..''

He looked disgruntled, ''Modern day youth.. It was a time where being a Sage actually meant something more than being a glorified tool for war,'' The Sage looked down at his missing leg, the corners of his mouth twitched.

Takashi saw the sadness congealing in his tutor's face, he wanted to say something. What could he say? He didn't even know his teacher? How could he possibly make an impact?

''Boy, it has been three years since a new group of youth left the barren womb of the desert,'' The sage steeled his expression, ''I cannot say whether it means the Reserve Force of old will be rebuilt, or if it's an omen of despair. But there must be a reason for the desert to give birth to all of us.''

The sun shone light red, highlighting the ominous tone in the sage's voice.

''Takashi,'' He glanced towards his student, ''I don't know for what reason you came to be, and if that is the origin of your cluttered mind. You need to stop, you won't live long if you overthink everything to its extreme and doubt the whole shebang.''

The boy's body quivered.

As if the teacher meant to speak for Takashi, he continued, ''You will continue to train your [GATHER MANA]. I'm gonna get something to drink this phantom leg away. When I get back you better be ready for [FIREBALL],'' He smiled, turned and went for the stairs.

Takashi whirled, ''Mast-... Sir. What is your name? You've never told it.''

The sage descended the staircase, the sound of the wood was strained, ''What good is a dead man's name?''

Takashi stared at the reddish sun, his eyes fell on the many towers that held the mountainous roof from falling on their heads. Nausea churned in his stomach, causing his face distort in a pained expression. He seated himself on the edge of the terrace and prepped his body for [GATHER MANA].

He breathed, his mind wandered on his tutor's last sentence.

In.

...

Out.

 _Just as good as a craven's name.  
_

* * *

 **Day - 7** _  
_

* * *

Darkness littered the streets. The constant sound of sand scratching against the mountain surface plagued Takashi's ears. Azanaar's streets were abnormally calm, the scratching sand only highlighted the discomfort of the Sage's apprentice. He couldn't blame the citizens for seeking the safety of their homes. Apparently, according to his teacher _Code Black_ went into effect; meaning that heavy sand and windstorms welted against every facet of the mountain.

Making the free city a cage of sand.

Black sand trickled into Takashi's new attire, he adjusted the white scarf that nearly draped to his ankles. His black robes was bound together by a thick horsehair rope; pouches, satchels and empty vials hung from it. His white pointy mage hat was adorned with bird skulls, its interior was blue of color. His robe was cut short in the front exposing his tight, blue, cloth pants. However, not all of it was cut away, it was fashioned so that black ribbons on the back revealed the original size of the robe. His shoes were easily the least impressive part of his clothing, it was simply soft leather bound around his feet with something known as Torque fur.

Small pebbles trembled, as if under persistent stress; not by the workings of his feet but by the mountain.

His feet stopped, Takashi gazed at the tangerine light fading from the torches, it was fastened to the face of a building. Dirt covered the walls, dust littered the windows and the smell of blood and alcohol stained the air. A crude sign hung in between the torches, several letters were either broken or missing but it was easy for Takashi to piece together the lost word.

''The Drinkhole,'' He whispered to himself.

 _It looks just like Hinata described it to be.._

As if on cue the swinging double doors arched forward and a girl with head full of messy, black locks was thrown in front of the Drinkhole. Her indigo tunic was wet with alcohol, her fishnet stockings dirty and torn, yet her leather boots were dry. As she recovered her bearings she spat a glob of thick greenish phlegm at the saloon doors. Her frown highlighted the vividness of her purple eyes.

''Fucking cunts!'' She snarled in a strong accent.

Takashi blinked, ''Are you? No.. But.. Maybe.. Inn-assistant, Yura?''

The girl whirled at the mention of her name and her eyes widened. She covered her face and her legs trembled ever so slightly, ''Who's Yura? I dunno no Yura. What even is Yura? Is Yura edible? Oh, can you cook Yura?!''

''W-What are you even doing here?'' Takashi massaged his forehead, he breathed deeply adjusting his new magus hat while doing so.

She preened her clothing but the smell nor stains faded for a single bit, ''The customer is a king in the inn, but not outside of it.''

His stupor bled into his voice, ''I-It's Code Black outside.''

''Yura..'' Her lip trembled, ''Yura was just.. Having gran ol' time. Nothing more.''

Takashi knew he was quite gullible, but it was just painful to be lied to, '' _Sure_..''

The inn-assistant pointed her finger accusingly with a heavy expression, ''What is you doing outside with Yura, when it's Code Black outside?''

''That's my questio-''

The swinging double doors flew open, the collision force it generated rattled Takashi's bones.

Metal clashed against the hard rock, a man as enormous as Lysen appeared from the the Drinkhole. His body covered in full-plate armor, A rectangular great-sword glowered admits the light of the torches; abstract markings were scratched into it untidily, markings that appeared to identical the ones that imprinted on his face. The very same face that scrunched together through his golden brown locks, insinuating to Takashi that the man was out for nothing other than gore.

Beside him was a woman, nearly as formidable in length and intimidation as Eima. Her short blood and grass colored hair was mesmerizing to look at, it was swept to left leaving only a single strand in the middle to accentuate her fair face. Her dark blue eyes glared daggers at both Takashi and Yura at once, Takashi would look away if the mole under her eye didn't draw his attention back to her face. She wore a sleeveless, green leather jerkin that descended past her knees, black, stubbed wrist-guards. Topping it off locksley pants; dark brown, knee-length boots and a quiver bound to her hips.

She drew back the string of her longbow, arrow notched and ready to fire it at a moments notice. Her bow was carved with the same marking as the man's sword and face. Takashi could painstakingly count every line marking the bow, as it was the only thing that his eyes followed constantly.

He whirled his head to Yura, whose feet already pointed to her path of escape. A million and one thoughts went through his head but before he could even forestall the imminent bloodshed he took leaden steps, hovering protectively infront of Yura.

The woman of blood and grass spoke, ''You know, I'm quite a punctual lady. I prefer tidiness and neatness over chaos and disorganization, however I do not like-''

The arrow whistled, it scathed Yura's shoulder letting blood ooze from the wound, ''-People who intentionally fuck with me or my leader!''

''Yura!'' Takashi flinched, his hand was already out to catch the arrow, yet it was far too fast.

The marked man glared at Takashi, ''You! Magic shitstain.''

Takashi gazed at him blankly, ''What?''

The marked man's brows twitched. ''You part of this thundercunt's envoy of manwhores?''

''What?!''

Yura snickered and then winked at the marked man, ''Guess Yura's thundercunt screwed you over good then.''

The man hoisted his greatsword over his armored shoulder and walked towards them, ''That's it! Killing you both!''

''I-I-I do not mean for battle, sir,'' Takashi rose his hands over his head, while the blood and grass gal readied an arrow from her quiver.

''But we do,'' She said, as she let the arrow free.

Yura pushed Takashi aside, bobbed beneath the arrow and dug into the ground collecting white pebbles, with several flicks of the wrist she methodically disabled the woman's fingers. She cursed as she dropped the bow and drew a dagger from her back. The marked man closed the distance between himself and Takashi as he swung his blade overhead. Takashi jerked aside, yelping like a girl as he did.

''W-W- Wait! P-Please, can't we just solve our issues over a cup of well brewed tea?'' Takashi fluttered his lashes and beamed.

''What do you sa-'' Takashi's sentence malformed into a scream as he hopped backwards narrowly avoiding the displacement of his bowels.

''Will you just _shut up_! Gods, your voice annoys me.''

Takashi laughed sheepishly, ''I don't disagree with that.''

Takashi held out the palm of his hand. A vortex of colorless energy streamed from the core of his body directly into his fingertips, setting them aflame. He whimpered as the fire began to singe his flesh, the pain felt abundantly vivid to him. Mayhap it was a mistake for him to force out [FIREBALL], he hadn't properly learned how to use it just yet but there was no going back now.

"Igira..'' The flames fluttered wildly as if it were drinking Takashi's mana.

A small burst of heat smacks the young mage in the face, ''Maldifidii..''

''Kiranann..'' The marked man's face showed a hint of recognition, a whirlwind of emotions streaked by on his face.

''Vigis!" The flame consumed Takashi's hand, and he yelled out in pain as ball of blue volatile fire flew from his hands and collided against the marked man. It seemed to swallow him whole before the blue fire expanded and exploded, it kicked up a curtain of dust, blinding Takashi's view of the battlefield. He faintly heard a woman scream out, but the all devouring fire ate the sound of her voice.

When the young mage looked at his hand he crumpled in a ball by the pain that washed over him. His hand was red, blood dripping freely; Most of the skin that was on his hand was peeled off and molten into discomforting white splotches, parts of his hands were soot black, the blackness seemingly bound to his malformed skin. Takashi dropped to a knee, weeping as he held his wounded hand in the other.

 _I.. I didn't mean to make it that potent.._

When he glanced up to see if the marked man was still alive, he saw his sword embedded in the mountainous ground. The man gradually rose from behind the blade. Half of his golden brown hair had been singed to cinders, revealing that the markings on his face encompassed his entire scalp, one of his eyebrows seemed to be missing too. When he strode to Takashi his gaze was bizarrely lacking of killing intent.

''You're the new disciple of the Mage Guild, aren't you?'' He asked.

Takashi was left a stuttering mess, ''H-H-How did yo-''

''It's obvious, your form, incantation style. Hell, even the color of your fire magic is the goddamn same as Herodin's,'' He retorted.

''Herodin?''

He rose his only brow, ''Shitstain, are you seriously saying that you didn't know that the Guildmaster himself took you under his wing?''

''That's a good thing, right?''

The man smacked his palm to his face, ''Gods, heavens and all that is holy.''

Takashi squinted, ''W-Wait.. Are you.. Izovanté? Izovanté of the Marked Men?''

The marked man shrugged, only now did Takashi realize that on one of his arms was no longer covered in plate mail, ''The one and damn only.''

''My mast- My tutor seeks your aid,'' Takashi dug through one of the pouches in his pants and produced a piece of parchment, he handed to Izovanté.

He squeezed the parchment in his fist after he finished glancing over it, ''Wait here, brat. I still have business.''

Izovanté glanced around him, but what he sought seemed to have dissipated, when the blood and grass haired woman approached, with her bow primed and ready to let loose a shot into Takashi's skull. Izovanté tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to snarl and relax her bow-arm.

An epiphany hit Takashi.

''Yura! Is she okay?''

Izovanté glanced at the woman, his eyelids lowered, ''Well, Chantal?''

''She ran off,'' Chantal gritted her teeth as she slid a arrow in her quiver.

When the drunken onlookers from the Drinking Hole streamed out of the tavern to look at the ongoing ruckus, Takashi drew a link between them and Yura. Perhaps she got off in hurry just like they arrived..

Dirtied and cursing.

* * *

 **Day - 11**

* * *

Half the names that were on the list had been crossed off. The names that remained were few, but Takashi recognized some of the unmarked ones.

\- Sir Izovante of the Marked Men.  
\- The Second Commander of the Black Desert Reserve Force, Spaelor.  
\- Tina "Asterisk" Aster, Monk Guildmistress and Vice Commander of Black Desert.  
\- The last Blacksmith and Ronin Guildmaster, Kenpachi.  
\- Lord Protector and Heir to the Dragon Mountain Azanaar, Lumen Dragonblood V.

His hands spasmed as he continued to trudge through the black sands, his voice naught but a whimper, "I-I-Is this a hit list?"

Chantal snatched back the parchment from the mage-in-training. Her gaze remained sour as Takashi yelped at the mistreatment of his bandaged hand.

"No. It's my grocery list. Of course it is, you halfwit!" She snapped back.

Takashi whirled his head to Izovanté who was leading the group through the black desert, "I-Is he okay? I could imagine being on a hit list would disturb someone greatly."

Chantal was about to double over from laughter, "My leader, Disturbed? Look, it's best you mind your own damn business, lest you learn of something you don't want to know."

"Besides, I'd be more worried about our boy prince," Chantal's face was caught in a perpetual frown.

Izovanté grumbled, ''Acts of war against the entire kingdom.. By the goddamn gods, those pointy eared scum!''

Takashi nodded, respecting the severity of the situation. The people on the list performed duties vital to the prosperity and safety of Azanaar, if they were to be assassinated Azanaar would fall into turmoil. All in all, it seemed to lead directly towards the enigmatic city of Aenir and the Fae, they would profit the most from this. Flashbacks of Takashi's first visit in the cavern hit him, perhaps there really was a Fae spy among the ranks of Azanarians.

He shook his head, _Thinking restlessly on these things wont help me on my current task, just this and I will be seen as Mage._

"Mage brat, we're here," Chantal barked as she took her marked bow in hand.

At the edge of desert's blackness, where sands shifts to solid grounds and lively grass, was a town digested by nature itself. Homes falling apart, vegetation besieging both walls and roads, whomever lived in the village; lived there no more. Takashi felt a queer sort of familiarity as he gazed on green lands. A forest loomed in the distance, it seemed about a day's ride away on the dirt road that cleaved the grass. Signs of combat littered the area, footprints of animals are crushed into the grass.

A sudden sense of dread spooked the boy, "Is this where Guildmistress Swifthart went missing?"

Izovanté nodded.

"Man, Granny Hart was one mean goddamn lady, whoever killed her.. Well.. If she's dead that is, she sure would've gave em' something to chew on," He rubbed the bald side of his head with a small smile.

Takashi crouched, examining the torn grass and earth, "Fight or massacre..?"

Izovante entered a nearby dilapidated home, "See what you can find in here, Chantal. Oh and Magic stain, watch our backs."

Takashi squinted and pressed his lips into a thin line, yet nodded in acceptance anyway. Chantal soon made her way to the other row of homes and both the leader of Marked Men and his femme fatale disciple soon disappeared in the blackness that dwelt within the houses, leaving Takashi by his lonesome.

He produced a staff made from a blessed oak. Takashi gazed at the staff with wry smile.

[FIREBALL] and [GATHER MANA] were as easy as jumping over hurdles for Takashi now. After burning his hand, his tutor concluded that the school of fire magic held the most potential for Takashi, and the young mage could simply not disagree with that. However, Herodin laughed after he learned that even with that much potency, Takashi still couldn't harm Izovante, it made the boy's confidence waver.

He held his staff aloft and chanted only the first verse of [FIREBALL], "Igira."

The tip of the staff shone with a bright blue flame, it reformed its shape every time the winds clashed against it. He felt the sudden lightheadedness that came with the drainage of Mana, the flame however didn't consume anything in its path like it did before. Takashi could even narrow and expand or contract the flow his Mana to manipulate the flame's size, heat and potency to a degree.

Herodin's disciple even felt an iota of pride welling up inside him as he sees the fruit of his labor with his own eyes.

 _Just this task and then his time at the Mage Guild is over.._

Somehow it saddened him a little. while, his tutor Herodin was pessimistic and hellbent on letting Takashi learn everything the hard way, he did teach him skills and knowledge that were vital for mages, and the survival skills necessary to pull off days of expeditions. Although, he has to question why his tutor made this his graduation test.

Takashi shrugged his thoughts away.

"MAGIC STAIN! CHANTAL! GET IN THE HOUSE! NOW!" Izovanté bellowed as he charged out of one of the ruined homes.

Takashi froze for one second too many.

A silver bear twice the height of Takashi and with large saber-like tooth broke the entire house down as it chased after Izovanté. Takashi could hear him curse foul obscenities as he wasn't able to unsheathe his weapon and sprint simultaneously. Within seconds Chantal shoulder bashed the door open whilst letting three arrows fly at the beast, they hit their mark staggering the beast and allowing Izovanté to have the time to draw his sword.

Izovanté's sword rent nothing but air. The silver bear turned tail and bore its teeth to Chantal instead. It charged at her, crushing homes in its path, with deft hands Chantal readied four arrows and shot them in a flurry, two missed and the remaining two pierced the beast's snout and upper leg. The pain caused to react even more wildly.

It slashed at Chantal, causing her to crash into the house behind her. Izovanté stood still with wide eyes, but he recovered and made his way to slay the beast.

''Magic stain! Snap out it! We need your magic! I'll draw its attention!''

 _B-But.. If you; seasoned veterans, are having trouble, then how could I..?_

The mage watched as Izovanté danced the dance of death with the beast. Takashi was quivering in his shoes, it felt too much, he wasn't ready for this. Aitarou was right.. He was a burden, when it comes down to it he was only craven.

 _I can't! I'm afraid! What if I fail? What if-_

Izovanté stood his ground when his blade caught the beast's paws, ''We _need_ you now!''

Takashi envisioned what happened next, Izovanté being torn in half, innards showing to the whole world; Chantal bleeding out in ignorance of their peril and himself watching it all happen. He couldn't let this happen, not now. Not with them, not with the others. If it came down to it, would he abandon Lysen? Loren? Rui? Hope? Ushio? Eima? Amaya? Aitarou? No, he couldn't. Even if Aitarou hated him, even if he would be perceived as weak by everyone.

He was done feeling useless, feeling powerless. If anyone needs him to step up, he may quiver, he may quake but he _can't_ falter.

''Igira.. Maldifidii.. Kiranann.. Vigis!''

The blue ball of magical fire surged from his staff, pushing Takashi to the ground. He saw Izovanté thrust his blade within the beast, barely managing to escape the blast radius. Blue fire swallowed the beast along with half the building beside it. It screamed a high-pitched screech of agony and fought desperately against the flames, thrashing around destroying buildings before the blue fire leeched away its life.

''Damn.. I'm gonna miss her..''

Takashi blinked, ''The beast?''

''No! My sword.''

''Oh.. I knew that.''

''Sure, you did.. Ugh, mages,'' Izovanté pinched the bridge of his nose, ''But thanks, I owe you one.''

Takashi felt his lips curl.

''Shit.. Chantal..'' Izovanté made his way into the building Chantal was smashed into, with Takashi right behind him.

Inside they found her binding her torn jerkin into a makeshift bandage to stop the bleeding, her exposed pale skin made the boy wince and a tinge of red surfaced on his cheeks. A lump of saliva was quickly swallowed away, while he and Izovanté made a collective effort to carry her. Chantal cried out in agony, the sound of numbers left her tongue.

''A- Are you counting?'' Takashi quirked a brow.

She shook her head, ''Remembering the eleven other times I broke my ribs,'' She groaned, ''They feel like dust bits, prickling against my stomach.''

Takashi suddenly felt the bread in his stomach churn.

''Boss,'' She began, pointing within the darkness of the building.

His face shifted, eventually he lets go of her, ''Hold her, I'll be back.''

When he returned, he held an large ornate greatsword, his face was grim.

Takashi spoke, ''You found a new weapon, great.''

He mumbled something.

''Come again?''

''It's not new.''

''H- Huh?'' Takashi's voice trailed off.

''It's Granny's sword.. She, gods.''

Takashi fell silent, his thoughts already grasped the state of the situation.

''What do we do?'' Chantal asked, ''Boss?''

After an eternity, Izovanté buried his face in his hands, ''I need to have an audience with our soon-to-be king.''

* * *

 **Day - 15**

* * *

"So what happens next?"

Takashi was seated across of his teacher, they rested on a pillow of soft fluffy sheep fur, drinking scalding tea. Birds had long begun their songs when the student and the teacher shared their last breakfast together.

"This is it, child. You could run along to your posse or stay here till it the stops sun bleeding its light onto our world, either way doesn't matter to me."

"Would it hurt to be friendly once a year?" The boy blew the steam off of his tea.

"No. I prefer this," Herodin smirked before he drank the heated beverage, "You did well, Takashi. Really, I had my doubts when I decided to send you along with Izo, yet you've exceeded my expectations."

If Takashi heard anymore praise, he'd likely start squealing away all those mushy feelings. In order to not embarrass himself he took reign of the conversation.

"Have you heard anything about them?" As Takashi sipped his tea he could feel the powerful herbal flavor warm his body.

"Not yet, I have something of note on the situation though. So I'll have to just join him today."

"Master Herodin," Takashi laid down his cup, "How did you learn about the hit list?"

Herodin refilled his cup at his leisure, while humming a song. As he sat down he poured the scalding drink down his throat, seemingly unfazed by the heat. Azure fire shot from his nostrils, he craned his head up and more flames escaped from his lips, when the fire spout ended Herodin smiled wryly.

"Titillating," his lips went razor thin, "Sorry, could you _repeat_ that?"

Takashi received the memo, "It's nothing."

"Good," he started coughing several jets of fire and smoke, "Well, that ruins the moment."

"Where did you and your posse decided to meet up?"

An idea welled up in Takashi's mind. He grabbed his tea downed half the cup, he focused his thoughts, lit the inner candle deep within his being.

 _Fire!_

The absolute command shot across his mind. He opened his mouth and..

All the tea went flying all over table.

Herodin sat there flabbergasted and then he shook with boisterous laughter, Takashi found himself laughing along with his tutor.

"Sorry, couldn't quite catch that," Takashi stood and snatched an a piece of cloth from one of the cupboards.

Herodin laughed, "I might teach you that one another time, for a fee of course."

While the pleasing sting of laughter resonated within his cheeks, Takashi wondered if this kind of happiness was limited.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, it blinded Takashi as he approached the weekly market. Smells of every sort filled his nostrils to the brim, from fish, to salts, to peppers, even the stink of Lorca; a saber-toothed silver bear, was there. Takashi felt his eyes bulge with all the sights to see, people were everywhere; they sat in front of the shops, sat next to tents and stalls or paced around drinking in the sights just as eagerly he did. Some played games, other shouted discounts at their stalls and kids ran around role-playing heroes and villains.

It made him feel so at ease, as if this sight was engraved within his being somewhere. He tipped his hat at several other armed adventurers after they greeted him pleasantly.

The humongous tower drew near and twists and curls within the spiral tower was nearly nauseating to look at. Takashi snatched a piece of parchment from his satchel, it felt rough to the touch.

 _Don't be late, goofball! We meet at the gate of the great Wisdom Spiral, At midday sharp._

 _See ya soon, Takashi._

 _Hugs,_

 _Yours truly but not really, Rui_

The young mage shook his head as he pocketed the letter.

He took a seat on a nearby bench and gazed skyward at the Wisdom Spiral. Takashi recalled the books he had to read, the Wisdom Spiral was said to be made directly from how the book of myths depicted it, Azarnarians seemed to believe in that book to a religious degree. Ladon, the first Dragon had once said to the first of man; who was birthed from the ashes and dust of the primordial fire that Ladon breathed onto Grimgar, that eternal peace and salvation lied within the skies, stars and heavens. Humans in their hubris built the Great One, a tower which was said to touch the crown of the sun. Ladon burned the Great One to cinders and from its molten remains formed the Dragon Mountain, Azanaar.

This spiral was made from its visage, to remind humankind of their failures and prowess simultaneously. The interior of the tower is filled with magic books along its stairway and it is said to lead to the nobles of society, it's funny how the upper layer of pecking order see themselves the gift that Ladon promised.

 _And it's also discomforting to know that they see themselves that way.._

Guards were stationed at the gates, barring entry to everyone who wasn't authorized to enter and despite the fact Takashi was part of Reserve Force, the one third-party faction allowed entry, he wasn't a true member yet. So sadly for him, the guards would escort him right back outside. Saddening, because he very much wanted to see those magic books.

''Holy crap! Takashi?! You look awesome.''

A voice shook him out of his thoughts, he rose his magus hat and witnessed the familiar face of Hope staring down at him. Needless to say Takashi smiled from ear to ear, he stood and took in Hope's new look and (hopefully) improved attitude.

Hope was garbed in a yellow and white, long sleeved shirt adorned with an velvet scarf that have a plethora of verses emblazoned on it; a long, gray man skirt with a cross sown was in the fabric, a black belt with pouches separated his midriff from his torso and legs, black gloves lined with silver and even dark hiking boots. In his hand he carried an hip-length, ornate, mahogany cane adorned with a blue gem on its hand rest. Wait? Was that an plywood boomerang strapped to his belt?

''Yep. It's me,'' Takashi rose a brow, ''What's with the boomerang?''

Hope slid his cane into his belt, crossed his arms and clicked his tongue, ''After two weeks all you care is the boomerang, huh? Good to know where you stand on things.''

Takashi felt his head sizzle with heat, ''No! No! That's not..''

''Completely your stupid fault?'' Hope interjected, he soon slapped Takashi on the shoulder, ''Just kidding. Good to see you've lost some of your stuttering.''

The Mage laughed sheepishly.

''To answer your question, I saw it on the market and this weird familiar feeling just flooded over me. That's far from the worst thing that happened, because once the stall owner let have a test spin he told me that I was a natural,'' Hope drifted off in thought, ''Thing is.. I'm not. Never touched those things, but it feels so.. I dunno.''

Takashi could sympathize, he felt the same when he spent some time playing on the Flaüt while Herodin was away. Maybe he should steer away from something this depressing.

''How was your guild?''

Hope grinned, ''Man, you have no idea! The Priest guild, yeah?'' He quickly turned his head left and right, before reeling Takashi closer to him, ''It's filled to the _absolute-positive-maximum brink_ with girls?! I was like the only guy there, except for..''

Hope visibly shuddered.

Takashi quirked a brow, ''What?''

''The Guildmaster.. It's just..''

''Well, say it?''

''I think he fancies me.''

Takashi's face went dead.

''I'm serious, man! He kept eying me up and it was creepy as all hell.''

...

''Takashi?'' Hope sounded desperate.

...

Takashi broke free when he saw someone else approach, leaving Hope to simmer in his own delusions.

As he advanced the figure turned out to be Loren, he nodded when he noted Takashi. He was clad in a blue, rolled up shirt adorned with a single metal pauldron; a red kerchief was bound to his hips and it fluttered with every movement he made; on his forearms he wore scratched up, metal bracers; his hair was bound in a ponytail thanks to a red ribbon; torn, gray trousers and toeless, brown boots finished his look. He looked like a Ronin, in every sense of the word.

His weapon could only be described by Takashi as dripping with danger, it was a wakizashi. Its sheath was tucked away within the kerchief and left to sit there on the side of his body, waiting to be drawn.

Loren gazed at Takashi silently, ''You look more mature. It's a good look for you, I say keep them bird skulls on.''

The weird bubbly feeling rose from within him, ''Thanks. It's great to see you again.''

Loren took a moment to soak in the compliment before pushing up his glasses.

''Is Amaya here already?''

''No. Not yet, anyway. Just Hope and me. He has had.. An _interesting_ time as far as I heard.''

Loren let loose a small smile, ''All the better for him, no? We should take our to relax and enjoy the luxuries we have, wouldn't you agree?''

''Uhm.. Yeah, I guess I can stand behind that kind of thinking.''

''How was your time on the guild?'' Loren seemed interested.

Takashi peeked at his once burnt hand, ''It was hectic, and yours?''

The Ronin's lips thinned, ''It was something..''

''Oh.. Uh..''

''I'll go check on Hope, could you stay on the look for the rest? Your hat would catch way more attention than my shirt.''

Before Takashi could answer, Loren was already walking. Somehow, he felt as if the hat was _too_ much..

It took several moments before he saw a head and a pair of shoulders stick out of the crowd. Without a doubt Takashi recognized Lysen instantly, once Lysen noticed him he pushed aside the crown, earing disdainful glares from the people around him. He patted Takashi on the scalp, careful enough not to splinter the bird skulls with his newfound strength.

He seemed to have acquired a tan, Lysen carried his barbute help underneath his arm. He was plated up in silver armor from his chest, shoulders, forearms, knees, shins to his feet, he seemed to have no kind of emblem decorating it unlike Hope. Takashi could notice the white and green within the gaps of his armor so he must've worn a long sleeved shirt beneath it.

His heater shield with green outlining was fastened to his back, the hilt and pommel a sword stuck out too. Despite the heavy suit he wore, Lysen didn't seem encumbered in the slightest. Although, droplets of sweat gushed from his face.

Takashi was getting mildly worried.

''Lysen, you okay? You're sweating a waterfall.''

''Say Takashi, do you know any Ice spells or something?''

''Huh? What? N- No. I don't, I'm the least compatible with that element out of all of them. In due time I might just power some basic electrical appliances though..''

''Then.. You wouldn't have flask of water on you, would you?'' Strangely enough, his face still didn't show any kind of discomfort.

''S- Sure.''

Takashi handed him his own snakeskin water flask. Lysen seemed to brighten when he took a single sip from it, he returned it after wiping it clean.

''Whooo!'' He wiped the sweat from his brow, ''That's refreshing.''

''You can have more than a sip. I can just refill it later.''

Lysen waved Takashi away, ''I'm good, thanks for the offer. I've had to fast for the past two weeks, and I think my finally body got the memo.''

''Fast? For what? Training?''

Lysen prodded at his scar with his finger, ''You could say that.. Haha..''

''I take it you've chosen to join the Warrior Guild, then?'' Takashi stared at the shield and sword.

Lysen snorted, ''Chosen? I was forced into it.''

Takashi looked at the giant that was Lysen, he just couldn't see anyone force him to anything at all. His surprise must've been noticed, since Lysen rubbed the back of his head and explained how he was scouted by an veteran, he claimed that Lysen was perfect for it, while it was very the opposite for the people who had to endure training with him. Lysen couldn't count the amount of times he rendered his training partners out of commission, he felt really bad about it.

''The guild is one leg in the grave already, sadly.''

''How so? I figured from the rumors that it was the most well-known Guild.''

''It is.. Well, it was. Ever since the guildmisteress vanished, internal turmoil started on who would lead in Swiftheart's place and all,'' Lysen looked away.

Takashi flinched, ''I'm sorry to hear that.''

''It's okay, we've job to do, remember?''

Takashi didn't get it.

''We need to make our way home.. We've already lost Ashna, right? The least we can do get her body and bring everyone home.''

Takashi visibly turned sour, the thought of making it back to their original world never really crossed his mind until now.

 _Home.._

''We'll continue this later, I can see Hope and Loren over there,'' Lysen patted Takashi again and set off.

Takashi waved, till he looked no more. Thoughts on getting home are starting to get to him, somehow somewhere he didn't want to—no, he absolutely dreaded it deep down. Takashi rolled up the sleeve of his robe and touched the rough texture on his wrists, he must've really hated his life there.

''What are you doing?''

Takashi yelped as the voice scared him out of his thoughts, he rolled his sleeve back and witnessed Aitarou drawing something from his side. When Takashi saw the muzzle of an firearm, the inner candle within him lit up. He shot out his hand forced Aitarou's gun to remain aimed at the ground, instinctively his hand became hot like the image of blue fire.

They stared each other dead in the eye, the pain in Takashi's bandaged hand made his eyes water.

''W- W- What is your deal?!'' Takashi's heart beat in his throat.

Aitarou cold eyes sparkled and he showed a toothy grin, ''Four out of ten.''

''Four outta wha-''

Aitarou headbutted Takashi full-on the nose, his concentration broke and he fell to the ground. Takashi searched for his staff on the ground, the touch of wood made him feel more confident. Mystic power began ebb from his body and flood his staff.

 _Click!_

Takashi stared into the void within the gun, he swallowed and dropped his staff with a dull clatter. The hammer on Aitarou's copper, golden clockwork gun slid back in place. Aitarou slid his steampunk goggles onto his eyes. Takashi felt cold, not due to Aitarou's demeanor but due to the muzzle pressed on his forehead. He witnessed him removing his finger off of the trigger.

''Nice try. You focused a bit too much on my weapon, but you're getting there,'' A smile formed on his lips.

A sudden force smashed the gun out of his hands and before the Mage could even blink Aitarou was already eating dust. Amaya had pounced him, her black greave crushed his throat. Aitarou thrashed, poking and prodding at the greave. She paid it no mind as she drew her longsword from her back, it curved and was as black as the night. Her eyes lit akin to a silver moon.

Takashi shook in fear, when reality seemed to not exist anymore. The colors around her blade drained away from existence, as Takashi beheld the spectacle his mind was on the brink of exploding into insanity, his mind could not compute the pure eldrich horror seeping from her sword. In the non-existence of color, he was shown the weeping faces of souls, begging to silence their suffering. Visions of death and agony detonated in his head.

 _Save us! Let us into your body! Help?! It hurts, It hurts! Kill me! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!_

The Mage grabbed his head, begging the voices to stop. His skull pounded with unfathomable pain, eventually he found himself doubling over in agony. Takashi could feel his eye sockets burn as the voices screamed even louder, his eardrums were on the verge of implosion.

When Loren rushed in like lightning and subdued Amaya, the anti-glow on her sword faded and the voices stopped.

''What the fuck, Amaya?!'' Loren screamed in her face, whilst his wakizashi pressed against her neck.

Aitarou coughed, one the glasses in his goggles shattered, blood poured above his eye, ''She was trying to kill me! What are you goddamn dilly dallying for! Cut her head off.''

''What?! I'm doing nothing like that! Not until I hear the story from both your sorry asses!''

Amaya pulled her black, turtle neck; half mask off her face, ''He was trying to kill Takashi!''

''No, I fucking wasn't, you dumb bitch!''

''Everyone shut the fuck up!'' Loren roared.

By now the entire market collected around the fiasco, whispers were passed along the civilians and while Takashi was starting to finally get a grasp on himself, the whole situation scared him shitless. Lysen hoisted Takashi back on his feet but he still saw ethereal hands coiling around his feet, he jumped around trying to get them off, earning a quirked eyebrow from the friendly giant.

Hope skidded to a stop next to Aitarou, he fetched his cane and held the gem above the wound. Takashi could swear he heard him saying the ancient verses to the [CURE] spell. Just as he predict the wound was healed instantly. Aitarou was about to reach for his gun, but Hope slapped at his wrist with his cane whilst shaking his head, in turn he holstered it.

Takashi swallowed, ''G- Guys..''

Everyone was too busy bickering about some 'he said' 'she said' stuff to pay him any attention.

''Guys!''

Silence.

''Guys?! Guards are coming for us.''

That seemed to rouse their attention, guards in covered in mail drew their weapons and were marching fast on all of them, likely not to hear them out. Loren hopped off Amaya and helped her up, he looks everyone in the eye.

''Run!''

On command, everyone began to scatter, Aitarou ran to Takashi and dragged the dazed mage with him and Amaya pursued them, the rest forced to save their own hides. As if on cue Aitarou howled with laughed.

''One hell of a shitshow, is it not?''

* * *

''Do I hear a shitshow finale?'' Aitarou sighed while he gazed upon a dead end.

There no way out, the two of them had decided to take the slums in order to lose them in the clutter that is that neighborhood. However, the two of hadn't even stepped a foot inside the place, so they were just as familiar around it, as well.. The _rest_ of Grimgar.

Takashi realized that they were likely begging the gods of this realm to screw them over with that ludicrous idea.

He heaved as he caught his breath, ''Aitarou.. Any plans?''

''Boost me, I might be able to get atop of the thing before the guards get us.''

Footsteps rang louder, they would have minutes. It's this or fight their way out, the last boding the worst possible status quo afterward. It would likely made them low-tier criminals that would be hunted by the very same organization they employ, not good. Takashi pressed his back against the wall and cupped his hands. Aitarou leapt and Takashi forced all of his power on getting him over.

He brushed the edge of the building's rooftop before crashing atop of Takashi, the Mage's everything started to ache.

''Well this is it, it was a pleasant experience. _Not_..'' Aitarou mumbled.

Takashi dropped his head against the mud, ''Crap baskets.''

''There they are! We got em'!'' Takashi overheard.

A black blur landed from the skies, Amaya winked at the Mage and indicated her feet with her fingers, Takashi and Aitarou held on. Reality inverted and souls stared Takashi in the face, he wanted to let go badly but he couldn't, they dug their bony fingers into his robe and weren't letting go.

''Skullheil! I require power! **[DEMON SUMMONING: ENFORCE]**!'' The veins in Amaya's face blacked and her eyes went eerily white.

A superhuman force tugged at Takashi as he took skyward, the Dark Knight easily overshot the height needed to get on the rooftop. While in midair she launced Aitarou on the rooftop by kick and hoisted Takashi in her grasp. Takashi quivered as the girl tilted her head unnaturally, her white eyes starting deeply within him.

They crashed into the rooftop, denting the waste metal immensely. The girl dropped to her knees, let go of Takashi and started to vomited black mist. The mist took a humanoid shape, its animal-like white, beady eyes drank in the sight of the three.

''# ~!##!# !''

It whispered something in indiscernible language and then faded to nothingness.

Amaya rose her head and looked over the edge, her smile indicated to Takashi that the threat was left in the dust.

She wheezed, ''You two.. Sure, run fast..''

Aitarou snorted, ''We had a strong motivation.''

Takashi crawled just in front of her, ''Are you okay?''

''Could ask you the same,'' She glared at Aitarou.

The gun totting youth facepalmed, ''Are we seriously doing this again?!''

''You tried to kill him, I saw you chamber your bullet, Gadgeteer,'' Amaya gagged once more.

''I can't chamber my bullets, but you're allowed to practically make Takashi insane. Good one, No really! Goddamn the double standard on this woman.''

Takashi recoiled and gazed at the Dark Knight, ''What is he saying?''

Amaya made a fit of retching noises.

''The girl knows darn well that well that some people are more prone to possession than others, and still she exposed everyone to her heinous skills.''

''I didn't know damn it! It's the first time I saw something like that happen.''

''What are you people saying?!'' Takashi yelled.

Aitarou backhanded him.

''Shut. Up,'' He motioned to the direction the guards went.

Takashi rubbed his stinging cheek, ''Please.. Just tell me.''

Amaya sighed, ''The dark arts I've learned come with a price. It's very possible that some lesser-willed individuals could get possessed every time they allow themselves to draw power from the Abyss or witness someone drawing from it,'' Amaya frowned, ''I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean to, I didn't know.''

Takashi buried his head in his hands, ''So I'm like hyper vulnerable to be possessed,''

Amaya nodded slowly.

''What happens then?''

''You'll die and something way, way, _way_ worse takes your place.''

''Gods! You daft, idiotic twat,'' Aitarou snarled, ''Everyone warned you for this shit and yet still you chose this.''

Amaya stood once more and closed the distance, ''Back off, asshole. I don't owe you anything.''

Takashi stood in between them, '''Guys. Please, don't do this.''

Aitarou looked at Takashi and then backed off, ''Fine, but when your powers go rogue. I'll kill you my goddamn self.''

Amaya looked hurt, but nodded soon after, ''If that happens, please do.''

''That won't happen. Amaya wouldn't let that happen to herself,'' Takashi heard himself saying.

He could feel her eyes piercing through him, but now was not the time for him to look.

Aitarou brushed his hand through his hair and began to pace in circles, before finally sitting down. His white dress shirt and beige vest were sprinkled in mud, he even lost his tie along the way, his brown coat was torn from the waist down, his leather boots and black pantaloons had seen better days too. Even his goggles fit into this torn fashion-style he has going for himself.

He also carried a holster for the gun he kept, it was bound to his pantaloons.

Takashi switched his gaze to Amaya, her bruise was still somewhat visible but the the dark veins were gone and she seemed to stop vomiting now.

Her clothes were what drew his attention the most. She wore a loose, sleeveless black turtle neck that goes up and covers up to her nose; black sleeves were attached from her elbows to past her palm with a hole for her thumb, leaving all of her fingers loose; A pair of black tight and black boots, she even has a grey piece of cloth tied around her waist that favors her left thigh, covering halfway down it. Finishing it off with the only few armor she wears, a black metal chest piece that only covers the length of and width of her ribcage and dark steel bracers are attached to her forearms, shins and knees.

The sheath of her longsword was attached to her back and she even had a dagger strapped to her upper thigh.

Takashi felt his face redden all of a sudden. He quickly pried his eyes away before she noticed him staring.

''So what do we do now?'' Takashi said.

''We need to find everyone else,'' Aitarou responded.

Amaya rolled her eyes, ''Well, mister all-knowning Artificer. Do you have any clue where they would be?''

''Nah, he doesn't but I sure as hecko do, ya kiddies!''

Everyone turned to the foreign voice just in front of them, it belonged to a girl.

''Rui?'' Amaya uttered.

''The one aaaaaaaand, only!'' She struck a rather goofy pose.

Rui appeared in a black shirt with a silver line going down the center of the chest. The shirt has long blue sleeves that hugged her arms tightly and didn't seem restrict her movement, it also has a loose blue hood too. She wore black shorts, along with a pair of black boots and next to that, a black belt that slightly hangs off of her waist. Black fingerless gloves finished the look off.

Rui seemed to have a knife placed in a sheathe on the back of her waist.

The girl bloated her cheeks, ''You people were late.''

Amaya sighed loudly, ''No Rui, _you_ were late.''

''No, I wasn't.''

''Yes you were,'' Aitarou chimed in.

''Realsies?''

Takashi slumped backwards, ''Yes. _Realsies_.''

''Oh..'' She let her shoulders hang, but quickly recovered.

''What guild did you even join?'' Amaya asked with a risen brow.

''The sneaky stealthy one, whatsitsnameagain?''

Aitarou seemed utterly perplexed, ''The Thief Guild?''

''Yeah that's it, a _stupid_ name..''

Takashi felt his brain cells slowly deteriorate, ''Can you lead us to the others?''

''Of course, we just need to sneak past all the guards.''

''All of them?'' Takashi whimpered.

''Yep!'' Rui never stopped smiling.

Somehow Takashi felt that this was the easiest thing they were going to do today.

* * *

The group reunited within the bowels of the Azanaar cavern, getting past the guards was tough. However, Rui always knew where to go, what shortcuts to take and even some of their patrol routes. It would've been real nice if she could've joined when Takashi had to find the Drinking Hole, it took him so long. Way too long.

While everyone greeted another, Loren made sure that whatever happened didn't happen again and both Amaya and Aitarou were both quick to agree on that as well. Yet that was not the last time they will speak about it, at least according to Loren.

''So what do we do now?'' Hope asked.

''We go back to Asterisk, we've done all we can in the city after all. She had something prepared for us, remember?'' Amaya said, with crossed arms.

''I hope Ushio is awake..'' Rui said with an uncharacteristic dip in her voice.

''I do too..'' Lysen frowned.

''Onward we go then!'' Rui lit up and took point.

''Yes, follow that half-wit!'' Aitarou said, while rolling his eyes.

Rui laughed, ''Half witty, you mean.''

Takashi took a moment and tapped Amaya on the shoulder, she whirled. He could see the question marks on her face.

''T- Thanks.. For trying to save me.''

The Dark Knight giggled and pulled his hat over his eyes, ''You're welcome. Would've been quite craven if I hadn't done so.''

''Yeah, I guess it would.''

While Takashi trailed alongside Amaya, he held the sliver of doubt in his heart. As if something kept whispering him the dark secrets of his fate, and he just couldn't understand.

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

 _ **All of the love to Reduced20 for creating: Chantal Bernard**_

 _ **A damn dangerous gall if she has to be.**_

 **Oh my god! It's finally over.  
**

 **Every time since the 6000 word mark, I've been telling myself; ''This is where quit, this will be the last scene,'' but nope it wasn't.**

 **Feels good to finally see this completed after so long. You guys must've been itching for this, so far this is the longest chapter to date with over 12k words strong but I'm bone tired now, I just wanna go into my room sleep and never wake up.**

 **First off, I'm incredibly sorry it took so long. I won't go too much into details since I already did that on the latest chapter of Soulspark *shameless plug here*. However, life just got the better of me.**

 **I'm back now, but frankly saying life is a hectic thing. I hope I can satisfy your reading needs sooner rather later, but better late than never, eh?**

 **Sorry.. That was kinda uncalled for.**

 **I don't know when the next will be out, since that one will huge, like colossal, like titanic (before it sank), like enormous. A lot of shit will go down there, so I'm doubting on whether or not I should postpone it for a very small in-between chapter. I'll think about it anyway, and heck if you would like that.. Just say the word.**

 **I wish you the very best of reading pleasure,**

 **Yours truly,**

 **Gem Machina**

 **P.S: I didn't bother to spell check, thank me. Because it would've at least taken 2 day.**

 **P.P.S: Spell checked, no worries!**


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